5 players with the best bowling record in Australia-South Africa Tests

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Dale Steyn is the only fast bowler to take five-wicket hauls against all Test playing nations

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 high-octane 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, 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 magicians, who top-performed with the ball, whenever Australia and South Africa faced each other in whites.

#5 Hugh Tayfield

Tayfield At The Oval
Hugh Tayfield claimed 170 wickets from 37 Tests

Hugh Tayfield, the greatest spinner produced by the Rainbow Nation, was instrumental in defining South African cricket in the 1950s.

Tayfield was an emergency replacement for Athol Rowan to play against Australia in the 1949-50 series and soon, he became a legend of the sport.

Between 1949 and 1958, Tayfield played 15 Tests (8-ball overs) against the Aussies and claimed 64 wickets at 34.50 and an economy of 2.19.

The man who claimed 170 wickets from 37 Tests, recorded four five-fors and a 10-wicket haul against the team from Down Under.

Tayfield recorded his best bowling figures against Australia in a 1952 Test at Melbourne. In the first innings he claimed six wickets by giving away 84 runs, followed by 7 for 81 in the second.

Tayfield's match tally of 13 wickets ensured South Africa's 82-run win and eventually, the series ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first time that a series between the two sides had not been won by Australia.

#4 Mitchell Johnson

South Africa v Australia - 3rd Test: Day 3
Mitchell Johnson was nicknamed Tyrannosaurus Rex in Australia’s dressing-room

Australia's lethal pacer Mitchell Johson, who was the master of the art of fast bowling, produced some heart-stopping spells in his eight-year-long Test career.

Moustachioed, athletic, tattooed, and left-handed, Johnson was famous for launching rockets into the ribs of right-handers.

Between 2008 and 2014, Johnson played 12 five-day games against South Africa and claimed 64 wickets at 25.64 and an economy of 3.10.

Nicknamed Tyrannosaurus Rex in Australia’s dressing-room, Johnson recorded three five-fors and a couple of 10-wicket hauls against the Proteas.

In a 2014 Test match at Centurion, Johnson claimed 12/127 to record his third 10-wicket haul and his best bowling figures in the longest format of the game.

In the first innings, he ran through the hosts' batting order claiming 7 for 68 and followed it by 5/59 in the second outing as Australia won the match by 281 runs, the second highest victory margin for the Baggy Greens in Tests against South Africa.

#3 Dale Steyn

dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014.
Dale Steyn was the #1 bowler in ICC Test rankings for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014

Dale Steyn has 419 wickets and is only three away from overtaking Shaun Pollock to become South Africa's all-time leading Test wicket-taker.

Since making his debut against England in 2004, the Steyn Gun has played 86 Tests and claimed 419 wickets, including 26 five-fors and five ten-wicket hauls.

Steyn, the only fast bowler to take five-wicket hauls against all Test playing nations, dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014.

Between 2008 and 2016, Steyn played 15 Tests against Australia and claimed 70 wickets at 27.47 and an economy of 3.56.

His best performance against the Aussies came in a 2008 Test match at Melbourne as he recorded figures of 5/87 in the first innings, followed by 5/67 in the second to take his match tally to 10/154, ensuring South Africa's 9-wicket win.

The 34-year old injured himself during the first Test against Australia at Perth in November 2016 and has spent much of the last 12 months sidelined through injury.

Steyn, who made his comeback after a lengthy rehabilitation period for a shoulder problem, injured his heel during the first Test of the recently-concluded five-match series against India at Newlands.

#2 Clarrie Grimmett

Grimmett Bowls
Clarrie Grimmett bowled just one no-ball in his 67 Test innings

An Australian of Kiwi descent, Clarrie Grimmett was the first bowler in Test history to take 200 wickets and was also credited with discovering the flipper.

Nicknamed 'The Fox', the leg-spinner made his Test debut as a 33-year-old in 1925 against England at Sydney Cricket Ground and took 11 wickets in the match helping Australia to a 307-run victory.

Between 1931 and 1936, Grimmett played 10 Test matches (8-ball overs) against South Africa and claimed 77 wickets at 15.57 and an impressive economy of 1.83.

The man who bowled just one no-ball in his 67 Test innings, claimed eight five-fors and four 10-wicket hauls against the Proteas.

The Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1931, Grimmett recorded figures of 14/199, his best against South Africa, in a 1932 Test at Adelaide as the hosts won the match by 10 wickets.

#1 Shane Warne

Australia v South Africa X
Shane Warne enjoyed intimidating and humiliating his opponents

Brash, boorish and boozy, spin wizard Shane Warne made his Test debut against India in Sydney in 1992.

At 23, he was coronated as the 'King of Spin' with his first ball in Test cricket in England. During the 1993 Ashes, Warne bowled an astonishing delivery to dismiss Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in Manchester to begin his reign that lasted 14 years and took 708 victims.

The controversy's favourite child, who took more than 1000 wickets before retiring from international cricket in 2007, is Australia's all-time leading Test wicket-taker and tops this list too.

Between 1993 and 2006, the champion leg-spinner played 24 Tests against South Africa and claimed 130 wickets at 24.16 and an economy of 2.37.

Warne, the second highest Test wicket-taker in the world, recorded seven of his 37 five-wicket hauls against the Proteas.

The bleached blond recorded his best Test figures of 12/128 in a 1994 Test against South Africa at Sydney in a losing cause.

Warne, who enjoyed intimidating and humiliating his opponents, claimed seven wickets for 56 runs in the first innings, followed by 5/72 in the second.

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Edited by Tanya Rudra