MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – South Africa head into the third and final test against Australia believing that if all else fails their deep reservoir of grit and determination can still be counted on to confront the most daunting of challenges.
Dominated by Australia for much of the epic, drawn Adelaide test will feel like more of a victory for Graeme Smith’s injury-hit Proteas, whose batsmen turned a seemingly hopeless cause into a brilliant save on the final day.
The series remains locked at 0-0 after Brisbane and Adelaide, and South Africa’s status as the top-ranked test side will be re-examined in Perth when the final match begins on Friday.
The Proteas skipper, however, paid credit to the resilience of his players, who remain unbeaten on tour since Feb. 2010.
“It’s really a strengthening point for us considering we haven’t played very well,” Smith said of the Adelaide draw.
“We had another couple of big injuries in this test match that created a little bit of hassle for us and we still managed to scrape through after not being in great positions.
“We haven’t been at our best but we still haven’t been beaten, and that’s a very rewarding feeling for us.”
Having already lost all-rounder JP Duminy for the series with an Achilles injury, the Proteas withdrew frontline paceman Vernon Philander from Adelaide after he pulled up with a back injury.
All-rounder Jacques Kallis strained a hamstring early on day one to compound South Africa’s woes, but the 37-year-old battled on to score a half-century to help his team avoid the follow-on and then a gritty 38 in the fourth innings.
Duminy’s injury opened the door for Faf du Plessis to produce a sensational debut, with 78 in the first innings and superb century in the second to guide South Africa to safety on day five and earn man-of-the-match honours.
Philander’s replacement Rory Kleinveldt also made the most of his opportunity, taking three wickets to be the pick of South Africa’s bowlers in the second innings after a wicketless debut in Brisbane.
Kleinveldt’s performance, along with a dogged effort from paceman Morne Morkel, did gloss over a patchy test for South Africa’s bowlers, who were blasted for 482 runs on day one.
Queries over Dale Steyn’s fitness remain after he had treatment for a leg strain.
Legspinner Imran Tahir’s international career may be over after he went wicketless for 260 runs, the most runs conceded without taking a wicket in test cricket.
