Proteas hang on for draw in final Test

The Proteas ended an arduous tour to Australia with a draw in the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. 

The teams shook hands with five overs remaining, with South Africa on 106/2, earning the hosts a 2-0 series win. 

Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer shared an 85-run partnership for the eighth wicket in the Proteas’s innings which took sufficient time out of the last day’s play to ensure the tourists could salvage the draw, despite Pat Cummins enforcing the follow-on.

The Proteas resumed on Sunday on 149/6, still needing 125 runs to avoid the follow-on and lost just the wicket of Marco Jansen in the first session, who was caught behind by Alex Carey off the part-time off-spin of Travis Head. 

Thereafter Maharaj and Harmer set about their partnership, with the former achieving a better balance between his usual attacking stroke play and defensive discipline than has been the case too often in his career. 

Harmer was more intent on defending and rode his luck particularly against fellow off-spinner Nathan Lyon who had a couple of shouts for lbw — which were referred to the television official, but none of which went Lyon’s way because of the ‘umpire’s call’ option. Lyon was understandably frustrated and at one stage chirped the officials that the ball “didn’t have to hit the middle stump” for them to raise their finger. 

Maharaj registered a fifth Test half-century before he was trapped lbw by the impressive Josh Hazlewood for 53. Harmer followed soon after, bowled off the inside edge by Hazlewood for 47, who finished with 4/48. 

Dismissed for 255, still 220 runs in arrears, Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee returned to the centre of the SCG midway through the afternoon session to start South Africa’s second innings. 

Elgar again looked all at sea against Cummins, jabbing at balls outside off stump and jumping around against deliveries targeting his body. For the fourth time in the series he was dismissed caught down the leg-side, on this occasion for 10.

Serious questions will need to be asked by the South African selectors about Elgar’s position, especially the captaincy, ahead of the West Indies series. 

His decision-making in the field has lacked creativity and his stubbornness about using just six batters, despite the Proteas’ struggling to score runs, has let the team down. 

There were some close calls for the Australians, with another ‘grassed’ catch by Steve Smith which was referred to the TV official, Richard Kettleborough, frustrating them again.

Hazlewood found some reverse swing to knock back Heinrich Klaasen’s off stump, but Erwee, 42* and Temba Bavuma 17* kept the Australians out. 

The Proteas return home on Monday, with many of the players heading to different franchise teams in the SA20 League. The next Test series is against the West Indies at the end of February.    

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