Smith hails ‘proudest achievement’

South Africa captain pleased with top ranking after series win over Australia.

PERTH:

South African captain Graeme Smith hailed his team’s second successive series win in Australia as the finest moment of his decorated career.

The Proteas, forced to bat out for draws in the first two Tests, dominated the Australians in the third and final Test at the WACA Ground to post a 309-run win and retain their top ranking in Test cricket.

Australia had the better of the first two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide, but failed to clinch victory in either match. In the third Test, having dismissed South Africa on the opening day for 225, the home side was bundled out for 163 in their first-innings, and then had the game ripped away from them as the Proteas piled on 569, setting a massive 632-run target.

The Perth win made them the first team in two decades to defeat Australia in Australia on consecutive tours, with the West Indies the previous team to manage it in 1992-93. England is the only other country to have done so.

“It’s hard to describe how satisfying this feels, to have done it twice is difficult to put into words,” said Smith.   “It’s incredible — every single one of the players can feel extremely proud of themselves. This is the proudest achievement of my career.”

They have done it by remaining unbeaten in 10 Tests this year, all on foreign soil. The Proteas have not been beaten away since a 2-0 loss in Sri Lanka in 2006 and Smith said the lead had been well-earned.

No fairytale ending for Ponting

Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting put on a brave face after he was denied a fairytale ending when dismissed for eight in his final Test innings, bringing the curtain down on a glittering 17-year career.

“I felt there was one last big push for me, and the day and game was set up for it, but it didn’t last long enough,” said Ponting. “It just would have been nice to have a few more next to my name.”

Australian captain Michael Clarke urged Cricket Australia to keep Ponting involved with the game, saying his absence would leave a massive void in the national side.

“I don’t think it has hit the players yet, it will do when we walk out in the first Test against Sri Lanka [next week] and he is not there,” he said. “He is going to be missed, the game will miss him.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2012.