Opinion
The year 2012 marked the first South African visit to Australia in a bilateral series since they triumphed 2-1 in 2008-09.
Between 2009 and 2012, the two nations faced off in two series overseas. Australia won in Johannesburg and Durban to win 2-1 in early 2009, before drawing 1-1 on their next visit in 2011. Australia carried the trophy into the 2012 series but had not won at home against South Africa since the summer of 2005-06. The series shaped up to be a thriller.
Graeme Smith captained a strong South African side featuring superstars Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn, with AB de Villiers standing behind the stumps. Hashim Amla was well established in the Proteas side and had built an impressive resume of 16 Test centuries by 2012, including three in one series on the tough away tracks of India.
He was supported in the batting order by JP Duminy, Alviro Petersen and debutant Faf du Plessis, who featured in the final two Tests. The Proteas’ bowling line-up was formidable, featuring Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel alongside Steyn.
Michael Clarke’s men were still a top Test side. Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey remained with Clarke from Australia’s golden generation. Australia had an impressive middle order to follow the opening pair of Ed Cowan and the explosive David Warner, as well as all-rounder Shane Watson and his injury replacement, debutant Rob Quiney.
Matthew Wade was only in his second series as Test keeper, but already had a century next to his name. Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus were joined by the younger quicks of Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc in the squad, while John Hastings also featured. Nathan Lyon was retained as the Australian spin option.
Michael Clarke led an Australian side in transition. (AFP PHOTO/Lindsey Parnaby)
The Gabba hosted the first Test of the summer where the pitch conditions led the Proteas to omit spinner Imran Tahir for a fourth pace option. Australia flirted with the idea but ultimately decided to leave Mitchell Starc out, pairing Nathan Lyon with the pace trio of Hilfenhaus, Pattinson and Siddle.
Quiney was called up to replace Shane Watson, who picked up a late injury, so Clarke was forced to bowl himself, Quiney and Mike Hussey for a couple of overs each as the Proteas piled on 255 runs on a shortened first day.
Kallis and Amla provided the bulk of South Africa’s runs, scoring 147 and 104 respectively and reaching their centuries on Day 3 after the entirely of Day 2 was rained out. Following Kallis and Amla’s dismissals, South Africa stood in a commanding position at 4/374 before losing their final six wickets cheaply for 76 runs.
Australia’s first innings was huge for the Test and for Ed Cowan. The opener had struggled to cement his place in the national side and was yet to score an international century. He had been forced to move states from New South Wales to Tasmania to find some meaningful Sheffield Shield action.
While Warner was the exciting firebrand opening batsman, Cowan was his antithesis. He batted slowly in contrast and had struggled to rack up the runs. This only made his maiden century sweeter.
As Ed Cowan kissed his helmet and raised his bat after firing an off drive through the infield for four runs, the emotion on the faces of him and his wife was unmissable. His captain Clarke was there to celebrate with him at the other end, before bringing up his own triple-digit score.
Following Cowan’s dismissal for 136, Clarke combined with Michael Hussey to finish Australia’s innings at 565. Clarke finished not out on 259, while Hussey was caught by a sub fielder on 100.
Looking for a result in the rain-affected match, Clarke declared halfway through the first session of Day 5, giving his bowlers the objective of finding nine wickets for less than 115 runs (JP Duminy had injured his leg on a warm-up on Day 2 so would not come out to bat).
Amla found the Australian’s aggression in the final innings of the first Test “quite humourous” as they desperately searched for the required wickets for a positive result. Pattinson dismissed Amla, but he was given a second life after Pattinson was found to have overstepped the crease.
Petersen was caught behind early off Pattinson, but Smith, Amla, Kallis and de Villers’ 29 not out off 114 ensured the match fizzled out into a draw.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
As the two sides moved to Adelaide for the second match of the series, South Africa made two key changes to their side, which heavily influenced the match. Imran Tahir returned while Faf du Plessis made his unforgettable Test debut.
It was Tahir who stepped into the limelight first for all the wrong reasons. Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat, where Cowan could not follow up his previous century and was dismissed for 10. Quiney and Ponting then fell shortly after for a duck and four before Clarke joined Dave Warner, then on 39, at the crease.
In this innings, Imran Tahir was hit for world record figures of 0/260 as Clarke scored his fourth double century of 2012. His first two came during an Indian series earlier in the year, including his 329 not out at the SCG.
Clarke split his double hundred over two partnerships with Warner and Hussey, who both notched centuries. Hussey and Clarke followed their 200-run partnership from the previous Test to put on 272 together, the latest in a series of famous partnerships between the pair. The Australians scored quickly as well, finishing the day on 482, before they were dismissed early the following day for 550 runs.
At the end of Day 2, South Africa were 2/217, with Graeme Smith on 111. But the morning of Day 3 proved punishing, as the Proteas lost five wickets for just 33 runs. Jacques Kallis picked up an injury and needed the assistance of a runner so he could come in to bat at number nine. South Africa finished all out for 388, trailing by 162.
Australia’s second effort on a deteriorating Adelaide pitch at the old Adelaide Oval featured no standout innings as a few contributed to the final effort of 267. Cowan and Warner both passed 30 but were dismissed before either of them could reach a half century.
Quiney was dismissed after just two balls for another duck. It was his last innings in Test cricket, finishing his memorable career of two Tests and nine runs. Ponting and Clarke were both dismissed by Steyn for 16 and 38 late on Day 3, before Peter Siddle emerged as nightwatchman.
He was joined on Day 4 by Mike Hussey, who scored the sole half century of the Australian innings, which convinced Clarke to declare at 8/267.
The Australian attack had four and a half sessions to bowl out the Proteas and ensure a relatively easy victory. The South Africans needed a mammoth 430 to win the match, but got off to a shaky start when Siddle, Hilfenhaus and Lyon reduced them to 4/45 at tea. Victory was in sight.
AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis came out after tea on Day 4 with one objective in mind: survival. The two batsmen – who would both go on to captain their nation in the coming decade – blocked, left and defended almost every delivery.
By the time de Villiers was dismissed, he had faced 220 balls for his 33 runs. The breakthrough of his wicket provided little solace to the Australians, as one of Test cricket’s greatest all-rounders came out to bat next.
Jacques Kallis added 49 runs to his team’s total off 110 balls before Lyon dismissed him. Dale Steyn followed him to the sheds shortly after, leaving the Proteas in the precarious position of 7/234, with just an hour left in the day and the match. Faf du Plessis had the task of batting with the tail to secure a draw.
The Aussies tried everything. When Morne Morkel was on strike batting at ten, Ed Cowan blatantly watched his shot go for four runs, encouraged by captain Clarke, to keep Morkel on strike and du Plessis at the other end.
Peter Siddle bowled out of his skin, pushing through near exhaustion to find two wickets, but he simply could not get past the brick wall that du Plessis provided. The young South African, on debut, finished on 110 not out off an incredible 376 balls, saving his nation from certain defeat. The series remained 0-0 and headed for the final Test in Perth.
Days before the WACA Test, former captain Ricky Ponting dropped a bombshell. A candidate for the greatest Australian cricketer since Don Bradman was to retire after the series. After 167 Test matches featuring 41 centuries and over 13,000 runs, Ponting had decided his time had come.
(James Knowler/Getty Images)
Ponting had experienced a lean run in the years leading up to the 2012 series, not scoring a century for two years before he broke through twice against India the previous summer.
The third Test against South Africa was significant because it was Ponting’s last. The game was disappointing for the Aussie fans: South Africa chose to bat first and scored 225 before Ponting was dismissed for 4 and Australia for 163. In their second innings, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers successfully navigated a tough WACA deck to record scores of 196 and 169 respectively. Australia could not possibly chase down over 600 to win.
Ponting enjoyed a rousing reception on his final stride to the wicket, but the fans had barely stopped applauding for him before they were on their feet again to usher him off the ground and into the sheds as he was dismissed for just eight runs. That evening on Day 4, Graeme Smith caught Nathan Lyon to secure a 1-0 series victory.
Most teams who tour Australia in Test series lose. Since the turn of the century, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Steve Smith and Tim Paine have only lost five series on home soil.
This South African series was significant. It was their second victory in Australia in a row and signified a changing of the Australian guard.
Ponting retired at the end of that series and Mike Hussey followed him out the door after the Sydney Test against Sri Lanka. Half the team did not take part in the all-conquering Ashes series the following summer. The 2012 South African tour remains one of this decade’s most memorable Test cricket series.
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