Beating the Australians in their own backyard is as good as lifting the World Cup, says South African allrounder Jacques Kallis.
MELBOURNE: Beating the Australians in their own backyard is as good as lifting the World Cup, says South African allrounder Jacques Kallis, who rates the Test series triumph here as the highest point of his career.
“It is up there with winning the World Cup, if not better. What better place do you want to do it? I have had some individual high moments here but... this takes the cake, having won a Test match here,” Kallis was quoted as saying by
The Australian.
South Africa have sealed the three-match series after winning the first two Tests in Perth and here, humbling the Aussies at home for the first time in 16 years.
Kallis, who scored two half centuries in the opening Perth Test, said playing and winning Down Under is one of the toughest challenges that a cricketer can imagine.
“All the younger generation, I don’t think they appreciate just how tough a place Australia is to tour,” he said.
Injured vice-captain Ashwell Prince said on Wednesday that the triumphant tourists had a “proper party last night” to celebrate their series-clinching nine-wicket win at the MCG, but warned that the psychological edge over Ricky Ponting’s team would be maintained going into the return three-Test series in South Africa starting in February.
“We’ve come a long way as a team. We’ve won in most countries over the last 12-18 months. The only place we didn’t win (the series) was in India, but we came away with a draw (1 win, 1 loss, 1 draw),” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Prince as saying.
Meanwhile, a shocked Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has said that Tuesday’s loss to South Africa in the second Test in Melbourne has left him disappointed, but warned that the team will strive to make amends in Sydney.
“I can’t speak for the whole team. I guess yesterday afternoon I was in a little bit of shock after coming off the field,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “You go out there and you are trying to do your best for your country and everyone in the team is trying to do their best. No one likes losing,” the
Sydney Morning Herald quoted Johnson as saying.
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