South Africa vs Australia
1st Test day2 Live streaming
in a city where nearly every conversation involves talk of hosting next year's FIFA World Cup, it would be reasonable if cricket was on the backburner. But this is not just any series. For South Africa, this is the big one.
South African fans stay up until all hours watching their side's extraordinary series win in Australia and now comes the chance to see their boys self-effacing the Australians first-hand. That's the plan, anyway.
There is more than a series victory on the line. either side takes the prize, also takes the No. 1 Test ranking, which has been held by Australia for all but a five-month period in 2003 when the South Africans briefly owned it. Locals say there hasn't been this much hype for a home series since Australia's first post-apartheid visit in 1993-94 and the Wanderers is hoping to attract record crowds.
"It's great. It's obviously fantastic to have the hype and to see cricket in such a good light in the country and in general the feel around the country is terrific," South Africa's captain Graeme Smith said. "People coming to the stadium is a bonus for us. It's a real energy booster."
