A MAGNIFICENT sporting contest which produced a pulsating climax and edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting drama should be reason to celebrate and to be grateful for the joy that Test cricket provides.
There will be a hundred “what if?” questions asked, and understandably so given S A ’s proximity to a glorious victory, but blame should be avoided at all costs and those inclined towards post-match wisdom must remember that hindsight is the prerogative of the smug.
Those now tempted to question the wisdom and timing of Graeme Smith’s declaration on the fourth evening are profoundly missing the point. The extra runs which took the game away from England and made it “safe” allowed SA to remain on the attack for the entire day.
On two occasions the “extra” close catcher, which would not have been in place in a conventional field, resulted in a wicket, Smith’s own catch at the luxury position of leg gulley to remove Alistair Cook might not have been a possibility had the captain been concerned about saving runs and AB de Villiers might not have been able to make his spectacular grab at third slip to remove Jonathan Trott if England had been in the game.
But the captain did not only get the declaration right, he also managed to maintain an intensity and belief among the team which most teams would have abandoned when Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott batted for more than 43 overs to take England to within 35 overs of safety with seven wickets in hand.
The bowlers were rotated smartly and kept as fresh as possible and the move to bring Paul Harris back at the death for a single over, in which he took a wicket, and then to remove him from the attack was both inspired and brave. Even more inspiration came from Friedel de Wet who proved an old adage that the best people make the best cricketers because they appreciate everything the game has to offer them and take nothing for granted.
De Wet always had raw pace and talent but two back operations and a stuttering career persuaded him to seek an alternative life away from the game. He moved back home to Krugersdorp and started his own nursery business which he has continued to run while rebuilding his career en route to a Test cap.
He might have had a victory to go with it had he not overstepped the crease in trapping Pietersen plumb lbw on 39. But for a week before the game began he knew this might be his only chance to impress on the greatest stage and the last thing he was going to do was let his head drop. On the contrary, he ran in as though his life depended on it — and was able to do so, under pressure, because he knows it does not.
The old jokes about explaining cricket to Americans — “How can you play a game for five days and still get a draw?” — were given a fresh airing by the sight of No11 Graham Onions punching the air after he had blocked the final ball from Makhaya Ntini, but for the converted it was pure, barely contained delight.
Smith showed a touching belief in fairytales by giving the last over to Ntini, but there was science as well as emotion behind the move with the veteran angling the ball back into the tailender rather than across him.
England may add a bowler in place of the wretchedly out of form Ian Bell on Boxing Day in Durban but, by and large, this was as good as they get. SA , however, will have Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis back as bowlers and can only improve.
They will once again start as favourites at Kingsmead.