I m a huge huge huge fan of SA cricket..............had a lump in my throat when the winning runs were scored in MCG..................It certainly was a pay back time for SA against the Aussies n winning this series 3-0 wud just be perfect. With the Aussies, they were trying their level best to tag their loss in India as just a blip n nothing more n they now are seeing the result!! Its almost impossible to replace the greatest spinner of all time in just a few months or years.........n they will take time adjusting their life without the other recently retired greats...........but they will come back n surely they will because they have the passion 4 the game, they r with all the facilities n more importantly every teams team needs some time to settle down after the retirement of that many great players! But as SA fan its just awesome that we are almost there being the number one ranked team in the world n its NOT just a series win in Australia that we have achieved that.......................For me the selectors have to be given a huge credit 4 that........they stuck with Smith through the thick and the thin, when he looked outta sorts, wasnt making runs............they had a plan, they had a vision and its so exciting to see it materialize..........n Mickey Arthur complements Smith excellently!!!! With India, they r hot in form recently, and they have a good leader in Dhoni now adays..............but they have a problem with a very ageing middle order n a out-of-form-out-of-sort number 3 ie Dravid...............their bowling attack looks very good in the subcontinent with 2 spinner n 2 pacers in Zaheer n Sharma but they dont have the attacking power as SA wud possess with Steyn, Morkel and Ntini anywhere else!! India have the calibre to challange the number one spot this year but I feel they fall a bit short. no_quiero............................As u might have found out I agree with you in most of the cases but for one..............J.P. Duminy has not been selected in this squad for his color........he has been always targeted as a future batting star...............he features in most of the ODIz for SA recently n has been calm n collected enough to gather some vital runs in vital moments 4 SA n there is no one who wud deserve a spot in the final 11 when some batsman was to get injured............He wud have got the spot had a deVilliers or a Kallis been unfit.....dont you think so??? And about Duminy n Sobers or Lara..............no one was comparing him to LARA..............its just that ppl r sayin n even those arrogant CHANNEL 9 AUSSIE commentary teams r sayin that "If this new Kid on the block plays the way he has done for the last 2 test, he could be a LARA or a Sobers"...............I hope u understand what I mean!! n btw in the last 2 test I seriously have started liking Paul Harris because of the attacking bowling that he has been doing...........going 4 wickets than just stopping the flow of runs!! And look at the Aussies, they chose Hauritz for Krejza just to stem the flow of runs when they always knew MCG wud be a better pitch for a spinner to toss it up there n pick some vital wickets.........I kinda find some selections(of White in turning pitches rather than Krejza in India just to bolster their batting) n some decisions(bowling spinners in India just to cope up with over rate in India) with the Aussie cricket very baffling n very negative!!! Guess I wrote too much..............n its partly of the excitement that what I have craved 4 for the last 10 or so years is coming true..................Go PROTEAS Go..............u richly deserve being the number one team this time around!!!