iafrica.com columnist and former Proteas coach Eric Simons looks back at South Africa's stunning Test series win over world champions Australia

If I was appointed as the technical advisor to a Hollywood film set for the making of a cricket movie and the director insisted that the script included the drama which we witnessed in Sydney on Day Five of the final Test I would have resigned because it was completely over the top and improbable.

I would have called it typical Hollywood melodrama and not from the real world.

How can anyone not love Test cricket when it provides the drama we have witnessed, not only on the last day of this Test, but throughout the series. Every series played between South Africa and Australia has been played with passion and great drama but never as much as we have witnessed the last few weeks.

The great thing about this series is that we can celebrate it as the winners!

Is this Australia's demise or SA's rise?

I suppose the biggest question in my mind is whether the result of the series is about the demise of Australia or the rise of South Africa.

To answer that we need to look for clues through the series and the one that stands out for me is how Australia handled winning positions.

We have become so used to Australia finding a way to win from losing positions. One of the catch phrases the Proteas used in the build up to the series was "Never become complacent, Australia always finds a way" — a way to get out of tough situations. What no one saw coming was that in this series, Australia always found a way to lose from winning situations.

They set us 414 in the first Test and everyone expected them to win but they didn't — not even close. South Africa chased down the record breaking total with only four wickets down.

In the second Test Australia had South Africa seven-down and our vulnerable tail at the wicket with the inexperienced JP Duminy and looking like taking a huge lead into their second innings. They certainly did not expect to face a deficit of 65 runs when they eventually started batting. Two Tests and two winning positions from which Australia managed to lose. In years gone by we would probably have gone into the final match 2-0 down.

The other story about Australian cricket must be the obvious lack of depth in their domestically. I have been very disappointed with some of the replacements that the selectors have called on when they have picked up injuries. In particular, the domestic records of some of these cricketers give no indication that they have earned a national call-up.

Let's rather focus on SA's brilliance

But those are Australian issues and we would rather focus on the brilliant South African moments and there have been plenty of them to shout about.

It would not be possible to detail all the South African highlights that we have witnessed through the series but for me the thing that was perhaps most exciting was that each potential weakness the team had and which was identified prior to the series was tested at some stage and in each case, usually when it counted most, they came through with flying colours.

The lack of form of the bowling attack during the Bangladesh home series managed to not only keep the much vaunted Australian top six in check, but has many of them wondering where their next run will come from. South Africa's long tail has been discussed at length, but it brought us back from the brink in the second Test. Paul Harris was supposed to be the weak link in the bowling line-up, but proved his worth, constantly taking key wickets.

The mental scars our cricketers have carried from years of heartbreaking defeats to Australia have been well and truly replaced with a self-belief that will be carried forward into the one-day matches and the return series in South Africa.

In each winning position that Australia achieved, South Africa had to play with great mental toughness and technical efficiency to get them out of a losing position. So much so that the Australian team might just be arriving in South Africa next month with a catch phrase in their team strategy along the lines of "Never become complacent, South Africa always finds a way".

Well done lads, now make the dominance total with an emphatic performance in the one day series.

  • Do you agree with Eric's sentiments? Let us know what you think below, or email Eric at ericsimons@primediaonline.co.za with any additional comments or questions.


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