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Cape Town – Australians are usually a pretty bullish lot but even their own public appear to have lost faith now in the ability of the Baggy Greens to win the Test series against South Africa at Newlands from Saturday.
Such was the pummelling Michael Clarke’s side received in the second encounter at St George’s Park, levelling matters at 1-1, that positive sentiment has dipped appreciably Down Under.
A poll in major Aussie newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald asked readers the following question in the wake of the Port Elizabeth result: “What will be the result of the third Test in Cape Town?”
Some 3,720 people had responded at the time of writing.
Three options were given for reply and the first – “South Africa will win: momentum is on their side” – received as much as 65 percent of support.
The next – “Australia will win: they can come back in the decider” – earned only 22 percent, whilst the third (“Draw: the series will end in a stalemate”) got 13 percent of backing.
The last result seems reasonably unlikely, given that four Tests in a row at Newlands have all produced decisive outcomes, with the Proteas winning each time.
A stalemate was last registered between South Africa and India in January 2011.
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