Kallis wants Aussie scalp

LAHORE: South African ace batsman Jacques Kallis revealed on Monday that his team’s most desperate desire — to beat rivals Australia in a Test series.

South Africa are riding high after drawing with Pakistan here last week to clinch their first Test series on the subcontinent since 2000. They won the first Test by 160 runs in Karachi in the two-match series.

But Kallis, Man-of-the-series after making 421 runs in four innings, said South Africa’s ultimate goal was to defeat Australia when they tour Down Under next year. “They are the best in the world at the moment and you want to test yourself against them, and beating them would be sort of equivalent to winning a World Cup,” Kallis told reporters.

Since their readmission to international cricket in 1992, South Africa have yet to win a World Cup or beat Australia in a Test series. After touring Pakistan, South Africa head in the coming months to India and England. But it is the tour of Australia that the Proteas are relishing.

“There are key goals: winning a World Cup is something we would like to do and beating Australia is another big one,” said Kallis. South Africa have come frustratingly close to cup glory, most memorably in a nerve-wracking match against Australia in the 1999 World Cup semifinal. Australia progressed to the final on a higher points difference.

The Aussies also crushed South Africa’s dreams in the 2007 World Cup semifinal in the West Indies. “It’s a disappointment that we haven’t won a World Cup, I think we have been in positions to win it but we made crucial mistakes,” Kallis said.

He said South Africa were progressing as a team and several new players were coming to the fore, along with left-arm spinner Paul Harris, who took 12 wickets in the two Tests against Pakistan.

“We have also found a few fast bowlers that have come through. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Andre Nel are obviously bowling well now and we have the experience of (Shaun) Pollock. So I think we are finally getting a nice rounded side where we have got most of our bases covered,” he explained.

Kallis, South Africa’s leading Test scorer with 8859 runs, denied setting targets for himself during matches. “I try and play according to the situation of the game and whatever the team requires at that stage,” he said. South Africa play Pakistan in five one-day matches, starting in Lahore on Thursday.