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[Howzat]

South Africa can eclipse Australia as the leading Test-playing nation with victory in the third and final Test which begins in Sydney on Saturday.
Will they do it? Do you want them to?

I'd love it if they do manage to beat the aussies and secure that top place. Im sure it will freshen things up at the top a bit and make the countries following test series's more competitive.

I cant see the Aussies winning this test the best they can hope for is a draw IMO. With Brett Lee, Shane Watson and Andrew Symonds injured, they have one of their most inexperienced attacks.
Andrew McDonald, Doug Bollinger or Ben Hilfenhaus will make their debuts.

PS. As you can see this topic has a SA flag as the icon, you can add a country flag to your topics now (well if its suitable obviously lol)

[AtBalfour]

No.1 place is definitely between India and South Africa. Australia are going through a tough rebuilding stage, one which India will have to go through too.

[Howzat]

Do you think England have already gone through that phase?

[yvk3103]

I would love to see India or SA take the top spot and the Aussies down to No. 3 maybe 4.

Beginning of the end of Aussie dominance in world cricket??

India, SA and England are the teams to watch out for in 2009 and beyond

[AtBalfour]

Nah, to be honest England don't have the pool of Talent that Aus, Ind, Saf and even Sri Lanka have. I can see them topping the bunch anytime soon unless selection policy and the "core" are removed.

Watch out for Bangladesh, I tip them to be the next superpower by 2010.

[Chaim]

No.1 place is definitely between India and South Africa. Australia are going through a tough rebuilding stage, one which India will have to go through too.

Indias Next generation of players have already had international experience (Raina ,Rohit, Murali Vijay, and Badrinath a mistake that australia made now they are face with the task of giving  2 probably 3 players a baggy green in the last test match of the summer.

This will rush the progress of these players and then they will be confronted by poor showing since expectations on these players will be so so high

[Howzat]

Nah, to be honest England don't have the pool of Talent that Aus, Ind, Saf and even Sri Lanka have. I can see them topping the bunch anytime soon unless selection policy and the "core" are removed.

Watch out for Bangladesh, I tip them to be the next superpower by 2010.

I agree with you about England, I cant see us challenging against the top nations, we are more than capable of beating the easier nations but just cant seem to perform regularly against the biggies!

As for bangladesh... theyre poor but they are getting better!

[AtBalfour]

What talent though, Tamim, Shakib, Aftab, Ashraful are really good players! Pity they perform once every 5 games, one at a time.

[Chaim]

Tamim is one of the top 10 scorers in odis this year

Shakib al Hasan gets at least 6 wickets every games and got 5 wicket hauls in innings his last 3 tests and got 96 earlier today

AFTAB??  aftab ahmed? hes gon to the ICL mate

Ashraful is a good player scoring 100 on debut at 17 however he has shown glimpses of class and has pedigree and has scored a century in the just concluded test

[stevie]

Would love to see the Aussies finally knocked off top spot but just can't see it happening. I think the Aussies will come out and perform and beat South Africa. Hopefully the side is too weak to do that and they get battered. India won't be number one for a while yet as I believe hat the South African's are better than the Indians when not playing in their own country.

[Sambo]

Bangladesh will be good. They put on 440 against us a few years back and another 400 against sri lanka against murali. Although id give it more 2015 rather than 2010.

South africa is good. although id like to see them against a fully firing aussie team.