First things first. The South Africa-India Test in Johannesburg made for a memorable game and one that would be talked about for a lot of right reasons and for some years to come.
It was a gritty performance from a side which had lost its past eight Test matches away from home and were expected to crumble in another one in South Africa.
And it was an almost unexpected fightback from the number one team on the final day that all but clinched them the game after the visitors had claimed most of the brownie points on the first four.
Going into the last day, India were favourites.
The number of times a team has chased down 458 – or more – in the fourth innings of a Test match over its 140-odd-year history, to win it, is exactly zero.
Hence, most South African fans were anticipating against hope, at the most, a showing on the lines of what they got in Adelaide a season or so ago.
The hero from that game, Faf du Plessis, was at the crease again and he did not disappoint.
Having begun the day unbeaten on 10, du Plessis went on to carve out 134, a knock that took 309 balls and was almost chanceless till he got out – run-out.
AB de Villiers supported him with a century of his own and till the duo was at the crease, it looked like the game was theirs to lose.
Slowly but steadily, South Africa went from looking odds on to draw the game to being a side on the cusp of recording a historic win.
Then exhaustion took over – they had batted 63 overs during their stand – and they fell at crucial junctures in the final session to hand back some of the initiative.
Still, with 19 deliveries to be bowled when du Plessis was run out and only 16 to score, you would have expected them to close out the game.
They didn’t.
The shutters were pulled down quickly after that as the pair of Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn played out a quick draw.
The Indian bowlers were only too happy to test them out with bouncers and neither batsmen responded with a shot of winning intent.
And that is what spoiled the fun for many of those in the ground and around the world.
Truth be told, there are always two sides to a coin. Some of my mates were aghast at the lack of yorker-length deliveries attempted by Indian bowlers in the last three overs of the day, but take into account the number of overs they had already bowled, it’s easy to understand why.
In fact, Dale Steyn smoked the only attempted yorker over long-on for a six in that period which begs the question whether such a brand of a delivery would have been a wicket-taking one or merely a pressure-releasing one given the high probability of it missing its required length.
Similarly, the decision by Philander and Steyn to shut shop would have come as a surprise to most. Even smacked of being a defensive one.
But one can easily argue that barring the really intelligent, practical fan, they would have been castigated for it had they lost the game attempting to do that once they du Plessis fell.
In the bigger scheme of things, there was a series to be won and a record – of not having lost a Test series in almost five years – to be preserved for South Africa. Which they seemed to have done well.
But what kind of an insight does the day’s play give into their mindset? If I were a captain of a cricket team about to take on the Proteas, watching how the South Africans went about on that last day, I would be a very glad man. So would Michael Clarke.
Because their attitude reeked of a team that was scared of losing. And that’s a major psychological chink that’s worth exploiting and would have been gleefully noticed by Clarke and Darren Lehmann had they been watching the game.
Knowing South Africa’s cricketing history when it comes to close encounters, it smacks of a team that has the ‘choke’ word embedded so gravely into their systems that given another similar situation, they would play exactly in the same manner as they did here at the Wanderers; avoid defeat first and talk win later.
Now let me clarify here that I do not necessarily subscribe to the theory that being the number one team in the world, they need to play a brand of cricket that will underline their status as the best team in the world.
And by holding out for a draw instead of hunting for a win the side don’t deserve the top ranking.
No, far from it. After all, for a team to boast of an 18-6 win-loss record in Tests since their previous series defeat in 2009 requires some getting.
Instead, what I do suggest is that those last three overs have not only allowed India a belief that the opposition can be scared from a position of strength.
It has also given Australia, their next opponents in Test match cricket, a bigger sense of confidence than they already had after winning the Ashes – here’s a team that’s vulnerable and can be tamed in their own dens.
A drawn game against India kept South Africa in the series but even a defeat, while attempting a win, would have sent out a stronger signal to both India and Australia that the teams looking to win games and if they did lose the odd one in that endeavour, it made no difference to their psyche.
However, such has been the effect of having lost games – especially in the shorter format of the game – from almost unassailable positions that the final three overs of the game went along expected lines for the onlooker.
It looked like a team relieved to draw the game than get out of the park, winners and record-breakers.
Here’s the clincher though. Captain Graeme Smith relinquished his responsibility as far as the decision to go or not after the target in the last three overs of the game is concerned.
Smith explained in his post-match press conference it was the batsmen in the middle, Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn, who decided not to go for a win and went on to defend the decision.
“Ultimately the guys out in the middle, what they thought was in the best interest of the team. I think we as a team have to support the decision Dale and Vernon made in the middle,” he said.
“The message was to set it up for the last over. Then there were a couple of maidens bowled, which made it difficult.”
Seriously? Did Smith realistically expect his numbers eight and nine to gauge the situation as batsmen and decide on weigh on the pros and the cons of a draw against the risks of a win?
And the maiden overs weren’t ‘bowled’, they were allowed to be bowled because neither batsman wanted to risk getting out – they kept allowing the bouncers to float through to the keeper.
Is Smith trying to suggest that had the target been, say, 30 from three overs and South Africa were 1-0 down in the series, he wouldn’t have sternly instructed his numbers eight and nine to play for a win?
Telling the pair of Philander and Steyn to play out a draw would have been bad enough but to not chalk out a proper path for them after du Plessis was dismissed is shocking at best.
A valid follow-up in that press conference needed to question Smith’s role in the team as a captain; surely coin-tossing can be managed by one of the others as well.
a fan
Guest
they want to prove to world they are best team but with their negative attitude it's not possible.......South africa play for their unbeaten record.....such team doesn't deserve to be no.1,who care about records.......their players might have talent but they don't have mantel strength.......
Prosenjit majumdar
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I didn't say Rsa is underdeveloped, was just making a point on awareness of a sensitive issue.
Prosenjit majumdar
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Alan you have every right to counter such awful remark like 'cowardice' hurled at your cricket team.only thing that made me comment was your apparent choice of branding some forms of mental illness as weakness or a negative aspect of a human being..i.e. something one should be disliked for having.hope that's actually not the case as you've already clarified, but i'm curious to know how you are able to judge the genuineness of mental illness,guessing you're not a proffesional or expert in that.can you even comment on the genuineness of trott's case?
Alan
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PM, I wasn't talking about people with genuine mental illness - I don't perceive anyone with real mental illness as either weak or lazy, simply as people with an illness. Most people with mental illness have incredible coping skills, as they have to endure much more than the rest of us. I was talking about those who pretend to have an illness to gain a benefit. However, as said before, it's funny that opinions about South Africans' cowardice can be thrown around with abandon and no uproar, but if anything negative is mentioned about Australians the world falls apart. I also don't believe South Africans don't have mental illness-the statistics for most mental illness around the world is pretty stable. I said they don't claim to have stress for ridiculous reasons. But it's ok, I've been here long enough to know that my opinion won't be tolerated - that's why so few South Africans come to this site, and why I won't be offering my opinion again. Just think about it- those calling South Africans cowards is " silly", and only one Australian even mentions it - but I call Australians weak and lazy, and the reaction is overwhelming. South Africa, by the way, is ahead of Australia in development, so I'm not sure why you call us underdeveloped. Somehow it remains ok for South Africans to be abused, but no come back is tolerated. The normal response from Australians if they get any critique about themselves is "Go back to where you come from". So developed and mature and tolerant. And if you want to criticize my beliefs about mental illness, you clearly haven't read the recent writings about Jonathan Trott's illness on this site, not by me, but by the Australans, who seem to take credit for his "mental disintegration". They pride themselves on the tactics of their team to cause "mental disintegration". Clearly they don't believe they can win on skill alone.
nscrim
Guest
Another similar opinion from Kepler Wessels: http://mobi.supersport.com//cricket/blogs/kepler-wessels/AB_Fafs_efforts_deserved_a_shot_at_win
Sandy
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+1
Sandy
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Alan this is an opinion site, if you don't like other opinions you shouldn't come to this site. Here is an opinion you may be interested in. http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/IndiaInSA/Rice-Jennings-slam-Proteas-20131224
ozinsa
Guest
Alan, too clever. You win. Time for a man of your wit, intellect and knowledge to leave a dump like Australia so unworthy of your presence. Another country needs you, surely. Please
Prosenjit majumdar
Guest
As for your belief of s.african's being very tough and not having any stress illnesses..it's the lack of awareness that's still a problem for most developing and underdeveloped nations.mental illnesses(doesn't mean only crazy,mad,psycho etc.) prevail everywhere, be it US,uk, india, australia or Rsa.
Prosenjit majumdar
Guest
@alan..whilst i'm completely with you in condemning the calling of smith's tactics as cowardice, the rest of your comment is suited more for the 19th or early 20th century rather than the current one.it shows in poor light the way you look at people and their characters.you don't seem to have neither enough knowledge nor tolerance for people with stress related disorders(mental depression n anxiety that is) and like to label them as weak people.surely you won't make similar comments regarding other illnesses like cancer or diabetes etc.evidently australia's not a weak nation with the kinds of developments and achievements they've accomplished in economy,technology and different sports( including cricket).
Prosenjit majumdar
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Suneer has very correctly explained the bowling tactics for the last few overs.as for Rsa, they're winning 1-0 in 4 days time and all talks on their tactics are going to vanish.
Alan
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You call it bigotry- I call it facts. I have worked in Australia for 15 years and I know exactly what I'm talking about. Dispute my statements with facts and prove me wrong, then you may call it bigotry. It's fine for Australians to say whatever they want about S Africans, but if I bring out a few facts about Australians it's bigotry. Funny that you don't complain about the bigotry so openly practiced by your own countrymen. You can report all you like- I've had enough of this Australian site anyway. Your countrymen are narrow minded, poorly informed, ignorami who know little about the real world and can't tolerate anyone else who does well. Tool.
ozinsa
Guest
Alan, as an Australian living in SA I defended the decision of the Saffas in not going for the win. A few Australian comments were silly mentioning cowardice. This post of yours however is a disgrace and should be reported for its pathetic bigotry. Get a life and go back to SA. Tool
Sandy
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Tall Poppy Syndrome, is that what having an opinion is called now, what rubbish. Read this opinion Alan. www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/IndiaInSA/Rice-Jennings-slam-Proteas-20131224
Specsavers
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NO! Every game is equivalent to a T20. Every ball must be hit for six or the batsman is a failure!!! And tailenders can control a game just as easily as top order batsmen! Anyone not playing like KP is a coward and ruining cricket. Short wide balls in test matches get called wides so bowlers only bowl juicy half volleys in the hitting zone (don't forget the fielding restrictions either)... how could SA not have won... a run a ball - too easy. Is that the sort of argument you have been up against?
Specsavers
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Hard to go for the win when the indians are bowling short and wide. Can you get you head around this not being a t-20 game?
Specsavers
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Amazed at this hate towards SA in this situation. SA should be congratulated for almost pulling off one of the great run chases. There is a reason teams do not make these sort of targets very often... it is bloody hard. Especially on a wearing deck, with up and down + sideways movement. All the cards are in the bowling team's hands. this article is just an attempt by a rabid one-eyed Indian supporter to deflect attention away from the fact the India failed to close out a game that was there for the taking. In what way can India take confidence out of this result? Confident that they can't take five wickets in a day on a seaming deck? Confident that they can bowl defensively in a test match with no fielding restrictions and liberal application of the wide law? Confident that two SA tailenders can't score at over a run a ball in a test match? This was not a t-20/odi meaningless game. A test match means something, and not losing is step 1. SA are number one on the rankings. It is India that needs to win to move up. The author is just sooking because SA didn't take risks to let India win. Maybe he should be complaining about the Indian bowlers bowling short and wide to not give the saffas a chance at winning? Hard to take wickets bowling short and wide to tailenders. India are the ones that came out of this test looking lacklustre in the bowling department.
Alan
Guest
Cowardice- really. As a South African working in Aus I can tell you very few South Africans are cowards, and Graeme Smith is not one of them. What they deal with on a daily basis in their lives takes more guts than any of you will ever have, the grizzly details which I will not even begin to describe here. On the contrary, the many "sick certificates" and " disability pensions" Australians turn into work for "stress related illnesses" are indicative of a weak and lazy nation. Aussies develop "stress" for slipping on banana peels, having disputes with their boss, or divorce. It's disgusting. No South African would ever do that. I've sent some of my students to work in South Africa to gain experience, and they came back early too "traumatized" to continue. You are talking from a position of no knowledge, sir, and making yourself ridiculous. The only difference between the South African and Australian cricketers attitudes isvthatvSouth Africans know the difference between real life and death issues, and playing games.
DanUK
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Agree, but I'd they also just don't have the talent to do that consistently, hence their approach and record
nscrim
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The reason SA have lost less games than Australia in recent years is because man for man they are a far more talented team. The lack of will to risk losing in pursuit of victory is the reason that South Africa, despite their clear talent advantage at the moment, will never have the record of pure dominance the great Australian teams of 10-15 years ago had.