Wake Up South Africans: Let Us Not Forget Our Proud Past

Before we become totally carried away with our current exploits in Australia, let us be mindful of what we have achieved in the past when touring "Down Under."

Last week's victory in the first test at Perth was a great achievement under the circumstances and it will rank as one of our highlights and one of our best victories in our proud sporting tradition.

However, it will be totally incorrect and insensitive to disregard exploits from yesteryear.

The tour of 1952/'53, when the late Jack Cheetham took a team of youngsters and "no - hopers" to compete against the likes of Neil Harvey and Richie Benaud. In fact, even our patriotic South African fans had written them off before they left our shores.

We drew a great five-match series 2-2. That draw was probably a watershed tour for South African cricket.

Who can forget Trevor Goddard's 1963/'64 tour to Australia? This tour provided the world of its first glimpses of players of the calibre of Graeme Pollock, Dennis Lindsay, Peter Pollock and Eddie Barlow.

It was another great five-match series and this one ended 1-1. It was in Adelaide where the world's greatest batsman ever, Sir Donald Bradman, was seen to stand and applaud the young 19-year old Graeme Pollock (175) when he and Eddie Barlow (201) had put on their record-breaking 341 third-wicket partnership.

Our memories are also short when it comes to recent events. On the sixth of January, 1994, defending 116 runs we bowled Australia out in Sydney for 111. Up to the final innings, we had lost every session.

If I were a player who had represented my country in any of those matches or series, I would feel aggrieved that my team's exploits have been faded into obscurity.

At the same time, we need to congratulate our team thus far on a job well done, but one swallow doesn't make a summer.