Aus will never forget heroic Proteas captain

Graeme Craig Smith a South African cricketer, and the current captain of the South African cricket team, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
Smith was also awarded the South African Cricketer of the Year award for his performances in the 2001–02 South Africian cricket season.
After the dramatic events of Perth and Melbourne it was inevitable that the end to the Sydney test would not belong to the mundane or obvious.

There was a certain inevitability that Graeme Smith would be involved in the final act -- and so it turned out to be. He came into bat to an heroic reception with eight overs and two balls still to be bowled and with Makhaya Ntini as his partner. There was no chance of a South African win at this stage but a draw was still very much on the table, particularly as both Ntini and Dale Steyn ended up defying the odds for an hour and a half each and Paul Harris also batted for an invaulable 53 minutes.

How ironic it should be that Smith was eventually to be last man out -- only ten balls away from the safe haven of an honourable draw -- beaten by a delivery from Australia's star performer throughout the series, Mitchell Johnson, with a delivery that jagged off a crack.

“It probably would have bowled me even if I had had two fit arms to deal with it,” commented Smith afterwards. And even in defeat he was able to maintain the good humour that has been a feature of his campaign throughout the tour. “As the senior batsman Makhaya should have protected me from the strike,” he joked.

Smith's demeanour did not come close to telling the pain he has lived through in the last few weeks or the drama that went on in the South African dressing room to get him on the field. He had not expected to bat and, although his bat, pads, gloves and other protective equipment were at the ground, the only playing clothing he had was the shirt he had used to wrap up his bats.

No bother. Jacques Kallis provided the playing trousers, Paul Harris a hamburger-stained jersey while Morne Morkel had the job of strapping on his pads and tying up his boots. Neil McKenzie and manager/doctor Mohammed Moosajee chimed in by turning his batting gloves into a type of splint and off he went to defy the Australians.

Smith will return home on Thursday as the toughest cricketer ever to represent his country and probably also the most respected cricketer in many years to visit the shores of Australia.

He was named man of the series for a batting average that was bordering on 80 before he went out for his final innings and also for his dynamic leadership.

In the end Australia won by 103 runs to finish the series with a 2-1 deficit.

But in defeat South Africa again displayed the character that has been a hallmark of their series.

“I never worry too much about world rankings,” said Smith after a defeat that leaves South Africa as No 2 behind Australia. “What I do know is that this team is capable of taking on and beating the strongest sides in the world at the moment.”