South Africa’s cricket chiefs are confident their team will claim the India Test series starting this month and clinch their third successive win in the region.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) hailed the team for sweeping the Bangladesh Test series last week and for winning the one-day series 2-0 on Wednesday with a game to spare.
”We also look forward to the Proteas winning the sub-continent treble against India,” Gerald Majola, CSA’s chief executive officer said in a statement.
South Africa are poised to sweep the one-day series against Bangladesh by winning the final game in Dhaka on Friday, which will lift them to the top of the one-day rankings.
”We are confident that [South Africa] will win … and finish the international season as the best ODI team in world cricket,” Majola added.
South Africa won the Pakistan Test series 1-0 in October and beat Bangladesh 2-0.
They will challenge Anil Kumble’s side in a three-Test series starting on March 26 that will decide who will emerge as the real challenger for Australia in Test cricket.
The winners of that series will be second in the world Test rankings behind Australia.
South Africa will reclaim the top spot in one-dayers they briefly held during the 2007 World Cup in West Indies if they clinch the Bangladesh series 3-0.
Australia and South Africa are currently tied on 127 ratings points with Graeme Smith’s side behind by a mere 0,529 of a point. – Reuters