What I like about the SA side is that you feel that they actually have some true class throughout their lineup, rather than one odd world class player and several others who happen to be in good form at the same time, which is what I felt about the England sides of 2005 and 2011.
Kallis and Steyn are all-time greats, Smith will surely end up in his country's greatest ever lineup, and Amla, Philander, Devillers and possibly DePlussis are greats in the making. Compare this to the second best team, England, who hardly have a single great in their side (Pietersen doesnt count for me). In the end, its the number of high quality players you have that determines the quality of your team.
When they play, you get the impression that the standard of cricket is quite high, and they rarely collectively fail in both batting and bowling. The sore spot of course is spin, as it has always been.
People are making unfair comparison between this side and the great WI and Australian teams of the past, but it misses the point. The point is simply to be better than your opponents, and its not their fault that their opponents are in pretty poor quality overall. They already have achieved an impressive overseas record and removed any doubts about who is the real no.1. What else should be expected from Mr. Smith? I guess to be more dominant at home, and it seems that he's off to a good start.
I would rather they continue to dominate until the other teams push their standards up.
