Test Cricket Tours - South Africa to Australia 2005-06

Test Cricket Tours - South Africa to Australia 2005-06

Tour of Australia 2005-06          Captain: Graeme Smith

South Africa’s 39th Test tour
(December 2005 -
       February - 2006)

Eighth Test-playing tour of Australia by South Africa
(previous tour 2001-02)

The South Africans were given three warm-up matches before the series and the Test matches were then played back-to-back. They subsequently played the VB series and the first T20 international scheduled in Australia.
The visitors lost the Test series 2-0. They saved the first Test with determined batting but lost on a wearing pitch at Melbourne. The third (Sydney) Test ended in disappointment after Graeme Smith was obliged to declare South Africa’s innings to have any hope of squaring the series. Ponting, with his second century of the match, brilliantly took Australia to the target of 287 that Smith set.
The Australian team was criticised for poor behaviour: constant appealing and a verbal onslaught of sledging. Lee and McGrath were both reprimanded for dissent.
Wisden’sAlmanack described the tour as a watershed because Graeme Smith showed his players they should not be intimidated by reputations, and was prepared to declare to give himself a chance of winning even if it meant he lost.

Other South African tours

Previous Tour
West Indies 2004-05

Next tour
Sri Lanka 2006

Next tour of Australia
2008-09

Members of the Test tour party (14)

Opening batsmen Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers
Middle-order batsmen Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph
Wicket-keeper Mark Boucher
Spin bowler Nicky Boje
Fast bowlers Andre Nel, Charl Langeveldt, Garnett Kruger, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini

⋄ UCBSA contract

N Boje
Eg   ⋄
32
SLA

M V Boucher
W    ⋄
29
WK          deputy captain
ODI

A B de Villiers
T
21
RHB

H H Gibbs
CC   ⋄
31
RHB
ODI

J H Kallis
CC   ⋄
30
RHB    RFM    vice-captain
ODI

J M Kemp
T
28
RHB
ODI

G J P Kruger
HL
28
RFM
ODI

C K Langeveldt
HL   ⋄
30
RFM
ODI

A Nel
T    ⋄
28
RFM
ODI

M Ntini
W    ⋄
28
RF

S M Pollock
D    ⋄
32
RHB    RFM
ODI

A G Prince
CC   ⋄
28
LHB
ODI

J A Rudolph
Eg    ⋄
24
LHB
ODI

G C Smith
CC    ⋄
24
LHB opener   captain
ODI

Joined the tour party for the
J Botha
ODI
VB one-day internationals
H H Dippenaar    ⋄
ODI

A J Hall     ⋄
ODI

M Zondeki
ODI

Representation of franchises (Supersport Series teams):

CC(Bo, WP) - Cape Cobras (4)
D (KZN) - Dolphins (1)
Eg (FS, GW) - Eagles (2)
HL(G, NW) - Highveld Lions (2)
T(Es, No) - Titans (3)
W(EP, Br) - Warriors (2)




Average age of team at time of first Test match

(16 December 2005) :
      28 yrs 7 months

⋄ UCBSA contract

Test Appearances made before the tour

Kallis 94, Pollock 94, Boucher 85, Gibbs 70, Ntini 59, Smith 40, Boje 35, Rudolph 27, Nel 15, Prince 12, de Villiers 11, Langeveldt 4, Kemp 3, Botha 0, Kruger 0.

Tour Officials

Goolam Rajah
Tour manager
Mohammad Moosajee
Temporary manager / team doctor
Mickey Arthur
Coach
Vincent Barnes
Assistant coach
Shane Jabaar
Physiotherapist
Adrian le Roux
Fitness trainer
Gustav Obermeyer
Computer analyst
Haroon Lorgat
Selector on tour

Goolam Rajah did not join up with the squad until after his shoulder operation. Dr Mohammed Moosajee deputised until the end of the third Test match.

Selectors

Haroon Lorgat (convenor of selectors), Mustapha Khan, Joubert Strydom.
The trio were joined by Smith and national coach Micky Arthur.

Selection

On 22 August Graeme Smith was reappointed captain, and Kallis replaced Boje as vice-captain.
Unavailable : Boeta Dippenar was given more time to recover from a wrist operation.
Tour Party Announced:    25 November 2005.
Not selected :   Andrew Hall, Monde Zondeki, Robin Peterson, Justin Ontong.
One-day squad announced: 2 January 2006.
Following his addition to the Test squad, Johan Botha was selected for the one-dayers ahead of Nicky Boje.
AB de Villiers and Boje were expected to return home after the Test series.

Time between selection and departure from South Africa
x days
(25 November to depart in Saf)

Travel
Johannesburg Q Perth

The team returned from the one-day series in India on 30 November
Probably arrived in Perth at beginning of December
Duncan Fletcher was accompanying the squad.

Time spent in Australia
   x days
(December- 7 February)

On-tour selection panel

Mickey Arthur (coach),   Haroon Lorgat (selector on tour) , Graeme Smith (captain)

Reinforcements

Jacques Kallis missed the first three weeks of the tour with an inflamed tendon in his left elbow, which he first injured in India. Justin Kemp had a shoulder injury that forced him the miss the last two Tests
Makhaya Ntini had a muscle tear in his left knee which forced him to leave the tour.

J Botha
W
23
RHB     OB
ODI

Johan Botha flew in to Sydney on Thursday 31 December. He was called into the squad in advance of the Sydney Test to take advantage of pitch conditions.
Jacques Kallis was eventually forced to return home for treatment on his elbow injury so Johan van der Wath, the Eagles allrounder, was called up to the VB Series squad. Ashwell Prince took over as vice-captain.
When Andre Nel developed a stress reaction injury in his left foot, and returned home, Dale Steyn was called up for the VB series. He joined the squad on Wednesday c17 January. Although Ntini passed a test showing he had recovered his fitness, he was not sent back to Australia.

Fixtures/Results

The T20 at Brisbane was the first Twenty20 international match

a
Perth
Western Australia
Lost inns 48 r
b
ϯ Lilac Hill
CA Chairman’s XI (50 overs)
Won 8 w
c
ϯ Crawley
Western Australian XI
Drawn
d
PERTH
AUSTRALIA First Test
DRAWN
e
MELBOURNE
AUSTRALIA Second Test
LOST 184 r
f
SYDNEY
AUSTRALIA Third Test
LOST 8 w
g
⊕ Brisbane
Australia (T20)
Lost 95 r
h
ϯ Brisbane
Queensland(50 overs)
Won 94 r
i
ϯ Brisbane
Queensland Academy of Sport (50 overs)
Won 46 r
j
§ Brisbane
Australia (1st ODI)
Won 5 w
k
§ Brisbane
Sri Lanka (2nd ODI)
Lost 94 r
l
§ Melbourne
Australia (3rd ODI)
Lost 59 r
m
§ Adelaide
Sri Lanka (4th ODI)
Won 9 r
n
§ Perth
Sri Lanka (5th ODI)
Won 5 w
o
§ Melbourne
Australia (6th ODI)
Lost 80 r
p
§ Sydney
Australia (7th ODI)
Lost 57 r
q
§ Hobart
Sri Lanka (8th ODI)
Lost 86 r

† not first-class
§ one-day internationals in VB Series
⊕ Twenty20 international

Time spent in Australia before First Test:
x days
December - 16 December)

Test appearances on tour
(v Australia 2005-06)

3 -   Boucher, de Villiers, Gibbs, Nel, Pollock, Prince, Rudolph, Smith.
2 -   Kallis, Langeveldt, Ntini,
1 -   Boje, Botha, Kemp.
0 -   Kruger.

Match appearances

T Test match
o one-day international
x other match
⊕ T/20 international

W won L lost D drawn
N no result   A abandoned
u unknown result

a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
N Boje

J Botha

M V Boucher

A B de Villiers

H H Dippenaar

H H Gibbs

A J Hall

J H Kallis

J M Kemp

G J P Kruger

C K Langeveldt

A Nel

M Ntini

S M Pollock

A G Prince

J A Rudolph

G C Smith

D W Steyn

J van der Wath

M Zondeki

R E S U L T S
L
W
D
D
L
L
L
W
W
W
L
L
W
W
L
L
L

South Africa’s six previous Test tour results:

in West Indies 2004-05 (4 Tests)
- won 2-0
in India 2004-05 (2 Tests)
- lost 0-1
in Sri Lanka 2004 (2 Tests)
- lost 0-1
in New Zealand 2003-04 (3 Tests)
- drawn 1-1
in Pakistan 2003-04 (2 Tests)
- lost 0-1
in England 2003 (5 Tests)
- drawn 2-2

Highlights

• Jacques Rudolph struck 24 fours and 2sixes in his innings of 201 * in the side match against the Western Australia XI. Rudolph followed up with 102* in the first Test at Perth
• Makhaya Ntini (5-64) and Andre Nel (3-29) dismissed Australia for only 258 at Perth
• Jacques Kallis (111) and Ashwell Prince (119) helped South Africa to a total of nearly 500 in the third Test
• Andre Nel captured 4-81 at Sydney. He was South Africa’s leading wicket-taker with 14 in the Test series at an average just under 30.

Tour Summary

F
W
L
D
Aban
Test Matches
3
0
2
1
-
Other first-class matches
1
0
1
0
-
†Minor matches
4
3
0
1
-
§ One-day internationals
8
3
5
0
-
All Matches
16
6
8
2
-

F Fixtures   W Won   L Lost   T Tied D Drawn   Canc Cancelled
Aban abandoned

Return to South Africa
?     Q Johannesburg

After the Test series Makhaya Ntini was ruled out of the remainder of the tour with a knee injury, and flew home early, as did Andre Nel with a stress fracture to his foot. Jacques Kallis also returned early midway through the one-day series as his elbow condition had not improved.
Selection convener Haroon Lorgat returned from Australia on Saturday night, 7 January.
After defeat by Sri Lanka at Hobart the team came straight home. “South Africa, after a long losing tour, appeared mentally drained and ready for their homeward journey.” Mickey Arthur said.
The plane touched down to a muted welcome at Johannesburg on Wednesday 8 February.

Time away from South Africa
     x days
(1 December to 8 February)

Accounts of the tour

Postscript

The return series against Australia In South Africa would begin in a fortnight.
In 2008 Mickey Arthur said: “My first tour abroad with the national team was a baptism of fire. Graeme took unbelievable responsibility on the tour …maybe we hyped the whole Australian tour up too much as a leadership group.”
"It was not a huge success but the team can go home and sulk or stand up and be counted to turn things around."
The South Africans complained that spectators made racial taunts and while the Australian Board took a tough stance, the abuse was not dealt with. The South African Board threatened to boycott future tours of Australia if the racial abuse towards their players continued.

Other Test tours in 2005-06

Australians to South Africa & Bangladesh 2005-06 - captain Ricky Ponting
England to Pakistan 2005-06 - captain Michael Vaughan
England to India 2005-06 - captain Andrew Flintoff
Indians to Pakistan 2005-06 - captain Rahul Dravid
New Zealanders to South Africa 2005-06 - captain Stephen Fleming
Pakistanis to Sri Lanka 2005-06 - captain Inzamamul Haq
Sri Lankans to India 2005-06 - captain Marvan Atapattu
Sri Lankans to Bangladesh 2005-06 - captain Mahela Jayawardene
West Indians to Australia 2005-06 - captain Shiv Chanderpaul
West Indians to New Zealand 2005-06 - captain Shiv Chanderpaul

Acknowledgements
To general reading of The Times newspaper digital archive (Gale Group); Jamaica Gleanor archive; National Library of Australia Trove; Papers Past NZ.
From former British Newspaper Library, Colindale, and online: The Age, Melbourne Argus, Bangladesh Daily Star, Barbados Advocate, Canberra Times, Daily Telegraph, Dawn, Eastern Daily Press, The Hindu, The Independent (Dhaka), Indian Express, The Island (Lanka), Lahore Times, New Nation, New Zealand Auckland Herald, Sri Lanka Daily News, Stabroek News, Straits Times, Sydney Morning Herald, The Telegraph (Calcutta), Times of India (Bombay) , The Tribune (Chandigarh), Trinidad Guardian, The West Australian.
cricketweb.net; ESPN cricinfo; cricket archive; www.cricketcountry; www.coverpoint
Magazines/periodicals including Australian Cricket, B & H West Indies Annual, The Cricketer International, Cricketer Quarterly, Indian Cricket, Indian Cricket Field Annual, Playfair Cricket Monthly, Shell Cricket Almanack of New Zealand, Wisden Cricket Monthly, Wisden Book of Test Cricket, Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanack.
Men In White, A History of Australian Cricket (Harte), A History of Indian Cricket (Bose), A History of West Indies Cricket (Manley)
Biography and tour books (own collection and at the M.C.C. Library at Lord’s Ground)                                    ©ALL CONTENTS OF THE TEST-CRICKET-TOURS.CO.UK WEBSITE ARE COPYRIGHT