5 players with the best batting record in Australia-South Africa Tests
After a golden summer at home, the Steven Smith-led Australia are ready to pit their wits against Faf du Plessis' South Africa in a much-anticipated four-match Test series that begins at Kingsmead, Durban on Thursday, March 1.
The number two and three teams in the ICC Test Rankings have played 94 Test matches against each other and the unit from Down Under has won 51 out of them, while 20 ended in draws.
However, the last time these two teams locked horns in November 2016, the Proteas emerged victorious by claiming the three-match series 2-1, with wins in Perth and Hobart.
Similar to the zest and fervour for the upcoming series, all the past encounters between Australia and South Africa have been quite intriguing. Players from both the sides have always tried to put their best foot forward to dominate the opposition as much as possible.
Now, let's have a look at five stalwarts, who top-performed with the bat, whenever Australia and South Africa faced each other in whites.
#5 Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke will go down in history as one of sharpest cricketing minds ever produced by Australia.
Great batting prowess, leadership skills par excellence and a tactical mind made Clarke Australian cricket's blue-eyed boy.
The batting prodigy announced his arrival on his Test debut itself, cracking 151 against India in a 2004 Test match at Bangalore.
Between 2008 and 2014, Clarke played 14 Tests against South Africa and scored 1,487 runs at an average of 67.59.
In a stellar 11-year international career, Clarke hit 28 Test centuries and 5 out of them came against the Proteas.
Clarke, who led Australia to the first Ashes clean sweep in 81 years in 2013-14, scored 259*, his highest score against the opposition, in a 2012 Test in Brisbane as the match ended in a draw.