South African cricket team in Australia in 1997–98

International cricket tour

The South African national cricket team toured Australia in the 1997-98 season. They played 3 test matches. Australia won the Test series 1-0.

South Africa also competed in a Carlton and United Series with Australia and New Zealand they won 7 of their 8 round robin matches but lost the best of three final 2-1 to Australia despite having won the first 'final'.

Test series summary

1st Test

26–30 December 1997
(5-day match)
Scorecard

Australia	v	South Africa
309 (121.2 overs) RT Ponting 105 (208) PL Symcox 4/69 (27.2 overs)		186 (106.5 overs) G Kirsten 83 (256) MS Kasprowicz 3/28 (13.5 overs)
257 (96.2 overs) PR Reiffel 79* (115) AA Donald 6/59 (27 overs)		273/7 (122 overs) JH Kallis 101 (279) SK Warne 3/97 (44 overs)

Match drawn
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Umpires: SA Bucknor (SA) and SG Randell (AUS)
Player of the match: JH Kallis (SA)

Australia won the toss and elected to bat.

2nd Test

2–5 January 1998
(5-day match)
Scorecard

South Africa	v	Australia
287 (124.1 overs) WJ Cronje 88 (262) SK Warne 5/75 (32.1 overs)		421 (167.4 overs) ME Waugh 100 (186) SM Pollock 3/71 (33 overs)
113 (53 overs) JH Kallis 45 (110) SK Warne 6/34 (21 overs)

Australia won by an innings and 21 runs
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Umpires: DB Hair (AUS) and P Willey (ENG)
Player of the match: SK Warne (AUS)

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
The match was scheduled for five days but completed in four.

3rd Test

30 January–3 February 1998
(5-day match)
Scorecard

South Africa	v	Australia
517 (166 overs) BM McMillan 87 (165) MS Kasprowicz 3/125 (39 overs)		350 (122.5 overs) MA Taylor 169* (378) SM Pollock 7/87 (41 overs)
193/6d (58 overs) G Kirsten 108* (159) SCG MacGill 3/22 (7 overs)		227/7 (108.4 overs) ME Waugh 115* (305) L Klusener 4/67 (30 overs)

Match drawn
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Umpires: DB Cowie (NZ) and SG Randell (AUS)
Player of the match: SM Pollock (SA)

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
SCG MacGill (AUS) made his Test debut.

External sources

CricketArchive

References

Wisden Cricketers Almanack

International cricket tours of Australia

Test and LOI tours
Afghanistan	2021–22
Bangladesh	2003 2008
England	1876–77 1878–79 1881–82 1882–83 1884–85 1886–87 1887–88 1891–92 1894–95 1897–98 1901–02 1903–04 1907–08 1911–12 1920–21 1924–25 1928–29 1932–33 1936–37 1946–47 1950–51 1954–55 1958–59 1962–63 1965–66 1970–71 1974–75 1977 1978–79 1979–80 1982–83 1986–87 1987–88 1990–91 1994–95 1998–99 2002–03 2006–07 2010–11 2013–14 2017–18 2021–22 2022–23
India	1947–48 1967–68 1977–78 1980–81 1985–86 1991–92 1999–2000 2003–04 2007–08 2011–12 2014–15 2015–16 2018–19 2020–21 2024–25
New Zealand	1973–74 1980–81 1982–83 1985–86 1987–88 1989–90 1993–94 1997–98 2001–02 2004–05 2008–09 2011–12 2015–16 2016–17 2019–20 2022–23
Pakistan	1964–65 1972–73 1976–77 1978–79 1981–82 1983–84 1989–90 1992–93 1995–96 1996–97 1999–2000 2002 2004–05 2009–10 2016–17 2019–20 2023–24
South Africa	1910–11 1931–32 1952–53 1963–64 1971–72 (cancelled) 1993–94 1997–98 2000 2001–02 2005–06 2008–09 2012–13 2014–15 2016–17 2018–19 2022–23
Sri Lanka	1987–88 1989–90 1995–96 2004 2007–08 2010–11 2012–13 2016–17 2018–19 2019–20 2021–22
West Indies	1930–31 1951–52 1960–61 1968–69 1975–76 1979–80 1981–82 1984–85 1988–89 1992–93 1995–96 1996–97 2000–01 2005–06 2009–10 2012–13 2015–16 2020–21 2022–23 2023–24
Zimbabwe	1994–95 2003–04 2022

Tournaments hosted
World Cup	1992 2015
T20 World Cup	2022
Tri-series	1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2011–12 2014–15 2017–18
Other multi-team tournaments	1985 1987

Other tours
Afghanistan	2014–15
Australian Forces	1919–20 1945–46
English	1861–62 1863–64 1873–74 1902–03 1922–23 1929–30 1935–36 1979–80
England Lions	2012–13 2021
Fijian	1907–08
Ireland	2014–15
Multi-national	1971–72 2005–06
Nepal	2023–24
New Zealand	1898–99 1913–14 1925–26 1927–28 1937–38 1953–54 1961–62 1967–68 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1974–75
PNG	2014–15
Scotland	2014–15
Sri Lanka	1982–83
UAE	2014–15
World Series Cricket (West Indies & World XI)	1977-78 1978-79