South Africa vs Australia, 2018: Test series – Statistical Preview

After a well fought Test series against India, the South Africans will now face the touring Australians in a 4-match Test series. The recent failures in the limited-overs might not haunt the Saffers with the return of their senior players. Australia will be coming into the series on the bank of an unbeaten Test series record in South Africa in over four decades. A series win with a 3-game difference will give the No.2 spot for Aussies while the same will help the home team to narrow the gap between them and India in the ICC Test team rankings.

All the stats and numbers to be looked out ahead of the South Africa-Australia Test series:

0 – Number of Test series wins for South Africa since their readmission to cricket at home against Australia. The home team lost five of the last seven home series against the Aussies while two ended in a draw.

9 – Number of consecutive wins for South Africa at home in Test cricket before losing to India in the Johannesburg Test. After the washed out Durban Test against New Zealand, the Saffers won nine Tests in a row till the Centurion Test against India.

17 – Since the drawn Durban Test match in 1994, all the 17 Tests played between South Africa and Australia in South Africa returned a result. The Saffers won five while the Aussies won 12 of those 17 Test matches.

42.13 – Bowling average of Nathan Lyon in Test cricket against South Africa which is his 2nd worst against any team in this format. Morne Morkel averages 38.58 against Aussies which is his 2nd worst against any side. Both the bowlers have their worst average against Pakistan of 66 and 41.33 respectively.

188 – Vernon Philander bagged 188 wickets in his Test career so far. He needs 12 more wickets to become the 7th South Africa bowler to bag 200 Test wickets.

290 – Number of wickets Nathan Lyon took in his Test career. He needs another ten wickets to become only the 6th Australian with 300 Test wickets.

294 – Number of wickets for Morne Morkel in Test cricket. He needs six more wickets to become the 5th South African to take 300 Test wickets before signing off his career.

994 – Runs Mitchell Marsh scored in his Test career so far. He needs six more runs to complete 1000 Test runs. Mitchell’s elder brother Shaun Marsh (1921 runs) needs 79 runs for completing 2000 Test runs.

9919 – Runs Steven Smith aggregated in International cricket. He needs 81 more runs for completing the 10000-run milestone. The first Test match of the series will be Smith’s 200th International game.

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