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Kepler: SA fit to challenge Aus
08/04/2008 15:39 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The way the Proteas are playing at the moment, they should be able to beat England in England and challenge Australia at home.
That is the view of former Proteas captain Kepler Wessels, who said he had never seen the current crop of players perform better than they had in the first two Tests against India.
Wessels was speaking at a lunch to introduce pay channel SuperSport's coverage of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which gets under way in India on April 18.
"The South Africans were superb, especially in the second Test," said Wessels. "They played better than I have every seen them play in the Graeme Smith era. They might not be the best South African team ever, but if they carry on playing the way they are now, they can challenge anyone.
"I believe this team is capable to beating England in England and of beating Australia."
Wessels said some of the top Indian players had been distracted before the second Test by promotional work for the IPL, with many having to take part in photo shoots and attend functions.
"But that doesn't take away from what the South Africans achieved," he added.
However, he warned that the pitch in the third Test, starting in Kanpur on Friday, would not be as friendly to fast bowling as the pitch in Ahmedabad had been.
"I think they will probably order a pitch that turns square from day one," he laughed. "But these guys have shown that they can cope with most things,"
- SAPA
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