Mission impossible

It ended with an appropriately unpretty stroke, the bastard child of a mean delivery that jammed bat into body and begat a flaccid blip to short leg where a simple catch was gratefully gobbled.

Thus Graeme Smith's Test career was ended at Newlands yesterday. He deserved better. He deserved a century. He deserved to take his team to victory, or at least to within sight of the safety of a draw.

Instead, he was caught Alex Doolan, bowled Mitchell Johnson for three - an innings that was nonetheless applauded to the top of Table Mountain as Smith walked back.

As he walked that walk one last time, he removed his helmet and his gloves. With demonstrative thrusts of his broadsword bat, he saluted the crowd, upstanding, of course, in all parts of the ground.

Then less than 20 minutes after he had strode between Australian players forming a guard of honour and shaken Michael Clarke's hand, he was gone.

Johnson, who with that strike owned Smith's wicket nine times, more than any other bowler in Tests, and who broke Smith's hands twice, clapped him all the way to the boundary.

We have not always appreciated how much Graeme Craig Smith did for SA cricket. More than once, he sparked the wrath of a fickle public. But we know a champion when we see one. Thank you, Mr Smith, for everything. And apologies.

Smith left behind him an already tattered scorecard. His dismissal reduced SA, set a silly target of 511, to 12/2. Soon, they were 15/3. By stumps, they were 71/4 - only 440 more to get.

Cricket SA (CSA) said Smith had told his team-mates of his decision after stumps on Monday. "It was an emotional space," Russell Domingo said. "All the guys started their careers with Graeme as their captain."

Had the shock news remained in the dressing room, Smith and his team might have been able to hide their feelings from their opponents. But there was nowhere to run nor hide after CSA announced Smith's retirement late on Monday night. With their conflicted emotions laid bare, SA's game disintegrated.

Runs flowed at more than six to the over in an opening stand of 123. The rate soared to 9.5 and did not dip below 7.9.

SA's task comes down to surviving all day today to secure a draw and a share of the series. Their remaining batsmen will need to follow the example set by Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers.

Between them, they faced 209 balls yesterday, mostly untroubled, until James Pattinson trapped Amla in front for 41.

The pitch is worn but hardly treacherous, and there is also the flame-throwing, fire-breathing Johnson to consider. But even he is only human. And another thing: it's Biff's last Test.

Scorecard

South Africa vs Australia

Third Test at Newlands

Australia first innings 494/7 decl. (M Clarke 161*, D Warner 135; JP Duminy 4/73).

South Africa first innings 287 (F du Plessis 67, A Petersen 53; M Johnson 4/42, R Harris 3/63).

Australia second innings

C Rogers run out (D Steyn) 39

D Warner c AB de Villiers b K Abbott 145

A Doolan c K Abbott b M Morkel 37

S Watson c JP Duminy b K Abbott 25

M Clarke c sub (Q de Kock) b K Abbott 0

S Smith not out 36

B Haddin not out 3

Extras (3b 12lb 3nb) 18

Total (for 5 wickets decl. after 58 overs) 303

Falls: 1/123 2/188 3/245 4/257 5/290

Bowling: M Morkel 13-1-67-1 (1nb), K Abbott 14-2-61-3, V Philander 6-0-42-0 (2nb), JP Duminy 19-3-76-0, D Steyn 3-1-24-0, D Elgar 3-0-18-0.

South Africa 2nd innings

A Petersen lbw b R Harris 9

G Smith c A Doolan b M Johnson 3

D Elgar b M Johnson 0

H Amla lbw b J Pattinson 41

AB de Villiers not out 16

K Abbott not out 1

Extras (1nb) 1

Total (for 4 wickets after 41 overs) 71

Falls: 1/12 2/12 3/15 4/68

Bowling: R Harris 8-5-10-1, M Johnson 13-3-31-2, J Pattinson 9-6-13-1, N Lyon 5-3-3-0, S Watson 3-2-1-0 (1nb), S Smith 3-0-13-0.

• South Africa require 440 runs to win at stumps, day four.