Steyn's secret to victory in Australia

Test nations take note: if you want to beat Australia at home, you must believe you can win. Or you'll face total annihilation.

The sound advice comes from a man who knows a thing or two about beating Australia in their own backyard, South Africa paceman Dale Steyn.

Steyn was part of the Proteas teams that beat the Aussies in Australia in 2008-09 and 2012-13 – the former victory the first time the hosts had lost a Test series at home in 16 years.

The 1-0 triumph in 2012-13 was the last time Australia has been beaten at home, in both a series and a single Test match, with the Aussies unbeaten in 18 Tests at home since then.

Steyn and his comrades head Down Under again in November hoping to make it three-straight Test series wins in Australia, and the Proteas' spearhead is relishing the challenge.

"Playing the best in the world brings the best out in your because you can't be average," Steyn told cricket.com.au in Rajkot.

"If you're average you're going to get beaten around the park and you're going to lose badly.

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"You have to go there with a good attitude, you have to go there feeling like you're going to win.

"If you go there feeling like 'oh we're just here to compete' you're probably going to get a hiding, so you have to there with the right attitude.

"I'm lucky enough to have played in a South African side that's had some amazing competitors; when we first won there it was (Jacques) Kallis, (Graeme) Smith, (Mark) Boucher, (Neil) McKenzie.

"These guys had been around the block, they'd been given a hiding many times before and they went there with a different attitude that time around (in 2008-09), and some other players who had never been there before were up for it.

"Then we went there again (in 2012-13) and did it again."

Steyn's record in Australia suggests he's always had the right attitude when crossing the Indian Ocean.

In six Tests he's played in Australia, Steyn has captured 30 Australian wickets at 28, including a standout haul of 10-154 in an historic win at the MCG in 2008. He also played a crucial role with the bat in that match, sharing a record-breaking 180-run ninth-wicket partnership with JP Duminy that turned a significant first-innings deficit into a match-winning lead.

However, the Proteas' successes in Australia have been reversed when South Africa host the return leg.

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Australia prevailed 2-1 away from home in 2009, drew the 2011 series 1-1 and two years ago, Michael Clarke's men won a see-sawing series to claim the No.1 Test ranking from their rivals.

While Steyn can't put his finger on the poor home records between the two sides in the past six years, he is desperate to play Test cricket again having missed most of the recent series against England, and he could return against New Zealand this August.

"It seems like every time we go there and beat them we come home and lose," Steyn said.

"I'm really looking forward to some competitive cricket to be honest with you.

"I haven't played a Test match since we played against England (in the first Test in Durban last December), I broke my shoulder in that game so it's been a long time.

"I just can't wait to get a red ball in my hand and go again."