The headwear gave them away. Ricky Ponting and Phillip Hughes sat together after Australia’s win in Durban and the most obvious sign of the generational gap that divides them was the state of their baggy green caps
Brydon Coverdale in Durban10-Mar-2009
Graeme Smith: “We’ve fought hard at the back ends of both Test matches, but we just haven’t done enough up front to get ourselves into the game early on.” © Getty Images
Graeme Smith’s courageous decision to bat with a broken hand in theSydney Test was indicative of the spark and the willpower that his mendisplayed throughout the tour of Australia. He was in charge of a sidethat had risen to so many challenges, come back from so many seeminglyirreparable positions that nobody was prepared to write them off.When South Africa’s lower order gradually faded away on the fifthafternoon in Durban, Smith, with a broken hand yet again, remained inhis green shirt and shorts, watching on with a depressed look. Hewasn’t padding up. There were to be no heroics and nobody could blamehim. Few players would have done what he did at the SCG.But the fact that he didn’t even appear to consider batting said muchabout South Africa’s state of mind on this return tour. It was a squadthat lacked intensity and seemed to have left all its energy inAustralia. Following the Kingsmead defeat, Smith was at a loss toexplain exactly what had changed besides a diminishment in the potencyof the attack.”We’ve been outplayed in every facet of the game and I think Australiacreated pressure and have been a lot sharper and more intense,” Smithsaid. “In particular they’ve bowled really well as a unit. They’vebeen able to create that sustained pressure on our batters and that’ssomething that we haven’t really done well.”We’ve started indifferently with the ball often, which has made itvery difficult for us to come back in the games. We’ve fought hardat the back ends of both Test matches but we just haven’t done enoughup front to get ourselves into the game early on. In the two first inningsin both Test matches I think we’ve let ourselves down, we’ve just leftourselves too much to do.”Smith’s men left Australia on the back of a loss but with their firstwin in a Test series in Australia. They were also tantalisingly closeto the world No. 1 Test ranking. Any sort of victory in the series inSouth Africa would have got them there. It meant a massive build-upbut Smith said the pressure on his side from the public was not anissue.”I don’t think expectation had anything to do with it,” Smith said.”It’s been a stellar season for this team in terms of what they’veachieved over the last period of time and with the results throughEngland and playing so well in India and defeating Australia away. Ithink we never quite achieved those heights in this series. It’s assimple as that.”South Africa’s series defeat was their first in two-and-a-half years.They entered the Johannesburg and Durban Tests with the same startingXI that played all three games in Australia. That will change for CapeTown, where Smith will not play due to his injury and Neil McKenzieand Morne Morkel have been dropped. Smith said it was a shame that thegroup had been split up after the end of their successful run of 10series without a loss.”It’s naturally disappointing, this group has been together for aperiod of time now and had enormous success,” Smith said.”Unfortunately the way of life or the way of sport that if theselectors feel you haven’t played well enough then it’s a naturalprogression that things are going to change. It’s our job now to getbehind the new guys and give them as much support and make them feelwelcome and ready to play at Newlands.”