Yearender: 2009 - a year South African cricket fans want to forget

South African cricket fans will not look back on 2009 as a year to remember, according to the South African Press Association.

Twelve months ago, South Africans were on a high - their cricket team became the first team in 16 years to achieve a series victory in Australia when they thrashed the world's top ranked team by nine wickets in the Christmas Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The series win over the world number one team was the culmination of probably the best year in South African cricket history.

The victory in Melbourne was South Africa's 11th of the year - a record for any team, and one that had been equaled only by the West Indies in 1984 and by England in 2004.

At that stage, South Africa had not lost a series in more than two years, during, which time they won nine and drew one against India.

In 2008 the year ended with South Africa needing just to draw the final Test against Australia in Sydney to become the world's top Test nation.

But 2009 was a complete contrast. South Africa began by losing the third Test in Sydney by 103 runs, despite the heroism of captain Graeme Smith who tried to salvage a draw despite a broken left hand and a right elbow so painful that he said he could barely brush his teeth.

The national team, the Proteas, lost the Twenty20 (T20) series against Australia, but won the five-match one-day international (ODI) series 4-1, and the one-day international (ODI) series in South Africa 3-2, after winning the T20 series 2-0.

However, Australia won the first two Tests, achieving the first series victory over South Africa since they lost to Sri Lanka in 2006.

The Proteas came back with an excellent victory at New lands in Cape Town, but were still unable to claim the number one ranking. They finally achieved that without lifting a bat, when England beat Australia in the Ashes series in August.

South Africa had major disappointments in the shorter forms of the game as well, losing to Pakistan in the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup, and crashing out in the first round of the ICC Champions Trophy at home.

When England arrived in South Africa, fresh from their Ashes victory, many thought South Africa would reassert their dominance.

The two sides shared the T20 series, but England won the ODI series 2-1, with two matches washed out by rain.

The first Test, at Supersport Park in Centurion, went down to the wire, with Graham Onions and Paul Collingwood hanging on for a draw.

The home side dominated for most of the Test, but when the two teams met in Durban the day after Christmas, South Africa suffered their worst defeat against England for 45 years, losing by an innings and 98 runs.

South Africa won only one of the six Tests they played in 2009.But there was some good news for South Africa. Jacques Kallis finished the decade with the best batting average in Test match cricket and the second leading run aggregate.

His aggregate of 8,630 runs (27 centuries and 42 fifties) was second only to Ricky Ponting's 9,458 but his average of 58.70 was fractionally better than the Australian captain's 58.38. Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan averaged 58.53 from 6,439 runs.

Makhaya Ntini was the second leading wicket taker (380) with only the prolific Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka (565) ahead of him. Ntini had an average of 28.64 for this period with 18 five-wicket hauls and four 10-wicket hauls.

Mark Boucher finished the decade second on the wicket keeping list, with 383 dismissals - 14 less than Adam Gilchrist of Australia.

The third of four Tests against England begins at Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday.

The Proteas have an excellent record at Newlands - since readmission they have won 14, drawn three and lost three of the 20Tests played in Cape Town.

They have won all three Tests against England at Newlands, losing only to Australia.

The Proteas know they have to win again to stay in the series and make 2010 a memorable year for them.