The greatest away series wins in cricket history
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From England beating Australia in 1895 to New Zealand in India last year, here are the sport’s best away performances. By Phil Walker and John Stern for Wisden Cricket Monthly. The stars. Graeme Smith led the charge with bat and balls, inspiring Dale Steyn, the leading wicket-taker in the series, to turn all-rounder and help JP Duminy play the innings of his life, while AB de Villiers announced himself as one of the modern greats.
![[South African captain Graeme Smith and batting partner Neil McKenzie in 2009.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5ad22ba725dc7921475b5a094d38c422ec3f46c9/0_39_2275_1822/master/2275.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Why it was special. Simple. Teams just didn’t beat Australia on their own patch. West Indies in 1992, by the barest of margins, had been the last to do it, and though South Africa had been Australia’s closest rivals in the 16-year interim and even halved a series in 1994 with a famous victory at Sydney, this was the moment it all came together.
![[Don Bradman at Lord’s in 1930.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b135a593760847e097bef58eaa4b407d54325db1/0_0_6612_3675/master/6612.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The moment. The first Test win at Perth opened up the possibility, but Melbourne was the landmark. At Perth on a quick one in front of a large cohort of South African expats, Smith’s counter-assault against a rampant Mitch Johnson – who’d already claimed eight first-innings wickets – spread belief through the team.
![[Matthew Hoggard celebrates with Andrew Flintoff after England’s win in Johannesburg.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/620da1cfc2d6540f553929c79bfc78d14c8802a4/0_55_1442_1028/master/1442.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
After the skipper’s rattling 108, the almost impossible – hauling in 414 against the Australians – suddenly felt probable, and so it proved, as the for-the-ages middle order of Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, de Villiers and Duminy combined to get it done for the loss of just four wickets. AB’s unbeaten hundred, after 63 in the first innings, confirmed him as one of the game’s top players; two years later he would be No1 in the world.
![[Viv Richards on his way to 189 not out at Old Trafford.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8415265beaedd188a898a912ac4171880ccae4e6/0_221_3600_2160/master/3600.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
