After the drubbing they received in the first two Test, nobody would have given Australia a chance to win the third Test against South Africa. Including five new faces out of which four were making their debut would have made the matter even tougher for Australia. However, defying all the odds, the hosts gave one of their most impressive performances in the recent times and registered a comprehensive win of seven wickets to salvage some pride.
Praising his side for the impressive performance, Smith said that three new batsmen in the batting lineup helped the hosts.
“We had three batters in the top six who had no scars or anything like that so they were able to come in and play their natural game, which was nice. I thought we adapted really well,” said Smith.
The opening day of the day-night encounter was full of drama. South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis surprised everyone by declaring the innings on 259 for 9.It was later revealed that he took the step because he had overheard a conversation between the umpires and David Warner in which the Aussie opener asked to leave the field for getting treatment on an injured shoulder. As per the rules, a player must be on the field for the same time they spent off it before being able to bowl or bat again and as a result, Warner could not open the innings. Usman Khawaja was asked to open the innings and he totally justified the decision with a brilliant hundred.
Speaking on Khwaja’s performance, Smith said:“I thought Usman was outstanding to come in under a pretty tricky situation on that night, opening the batting and get through that difficult period in the night and then bat the whole next day. It shows a lot about his character and what he’s willing to do. I thought he played beautifully out there for seven hours to wear them down and score a big hundred. I guess that’s the sort of template we’re looking for in our top six batters.”
The skipper also praised debutant opener Matt Renshaw who scored an unbeaten half-century in the second innings to take his team home. The youngster was tested a lot by the Proteas bowlers but he held on to register his maiden fifty.
“I thought he played quite well. He knows his game very well,” Smith said. “Obviously he got beaten a lot, but he wasn’t chasing the ball. He was keeping his line. South African had some quality bowlers that nip the ball quite a bit so you can’t afford to follow them. Something I thought Usman did particularly well in the first innings.
“He [Renshaw] played the line and let the ball that nips go past the bat and he didn’t seem phased by it at all. He just got on with the job and made them bowl to him. When they got a bit straighter he picked them off and that’s the way he goes about his game and it was nice for him and Petey [Handscomb] – two guys on debut – to be there at the end,” he added.
Smith also expressed his delight over the team’s fielding performance. Singling out Peter Handscomb’s catch to dismiss the Proteas skipper, he said:“I felt a bit of a switch straight away in energy and presence around the group in our first training session out here at Adelaide Oval.”
“Everything felt like it was running smoothly and when we got our chance to get out into the field we had good energy and presence about ourselves. That helps in the field as well, we were able to take some pretty good catches in this Test match, a part of our game that has probably been a bit disappointing for a while now.
“It works hand in hand, when you have that sort of presence and energy you’re able to take chances like the one Petey took to open the game up. It’s been great to have these guys come in, create that energy and have that hunger and character about them to want to win and fight.”
The Australian skipper was also relieved to end the five-match losing streak in Tests. Expressing his delight over the victory, he said:“I’m very happy, it’s much better to be on this side of the fence.A little bit bittersweet, it was a disappointing series, we were outplayed in the first two Test matches by South Africa, but I’m really proud of the way that the team came back in this game. There were some new players who came in, they stood up and we showed some fight and character. That’s what I want us to do and I’m really proud of the way we stood up.
Smith also hoped that his new-look team can start fresh and hoped that his team can build on the brilliant win in Adelaide. With Pakistan set to visit next month, Smith said that his team will have to perform really well to beat the world number 2 team.
“I think we can grow from what we’ve done in this Test match. It’s been a great start for a young group that have come together so we’re going to have to continue to work hard as a group to get to where we want to. Obviously they [Pakistan] are going to be another tough opposition. I think they have been playing some very good cricket. They’ve got some quality players so we’re going to have to be at our best if we want to get on top of them this summer as well.”