da doce： South Africa’s victory wasn’t about one man but a fantastic performance from the entire unit, felt Smith
Dileep Premachandran in Durban30-Dec-2006Listen to Graeme Smith’s press conference
Graeme Smith – ‘We had a good chat within the team and every guy put up hishand’ © AFP
If there was one moment that encapsulated South Africa’s desperation towin this match, it was the sight of Andrè Nel running all the way back tolong-on in pursuit of an Anil Kumble push off his bowling. Character andeffort alone don’t guarantee victory, but you won’t go far wrong with suchmen in the side.Nel was a superb foil for the day’s undoubted star – Makhaya Ntini. Hisseven-over burst either side of lunch more or less left India praying forbad light to survive, and the combination of pace, rhythm and sharp bouncethat so troubled the Australians earlier this year was once again in ampleevidence. He’d finished that three-Test series with 19 wickets at22.36; after two Tests against India, he already has 14 scalps at15.92, despite being below his best at the Wanderers.Ntini came to the press conference munching on some grapes, having spenttime between celebrations chatting to his young son. As always, his timein front of the microphone was never less than entertaining. “Just one,”he said with that trademark grin when asked what had been the differencebetween the Wanderers and Kingsmead. “Mr. Ian Bishop was not there. Hegives me momentum and pumps me up so that I must go out and do it. I amnot going to tell you what it is. I don’t reveal my secrets.””Do you actually believe a word he says?” asked Bishop later, with anincredulous look on his face. “We are brothers,” Ntini had said. “We had achat in the dressing-room.” According to Bishop, the chat didn’t go muchbeyond finding the rhythm that makes Ntini’s bowling such a handful onthese surfaces, and having turned the beat around, it was the Indianbatsmen who were left to make the discordant noises.”I enjoyed the wickets of Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly the most,” said Ntinionce the wisecracks were out of the way. “I enjoy bowling to left-handers,and like giving a tough time to Ganguly.”The final stages of the game were marred by Graeme Smith accusingSreesanth of play-acting – he was struck a painful blow on the right arm -and by the batsmen trying to influence the umpires to offer the light.Ntini feigned indignation when he was asked what he had said to Sreesanthafter the two met at the bowler’s end following an on-drive for four.”He said he couldn’t see the ball,” said Ntini with a straight face. “Butwhen I bowled a half-volley, he hit me for a four. I asked him: ‘You sayyou can’t see the ball, and now you hit me for four?'”Smith, whose captaincy might have been on the line had the result here been an adverse one, couldn’t praise his main strike bowler enough.”Makhaya has come back superbly,” he said. “It’s the hallmark of a verygood cricketer. When the team really needs you, you put your hand up andstand up. Makhaya delivered for us, and was backed up superbly by theother guys.”But this triumph was about far more than individuals. Ashwell Prince’sfirst-innings century laid the foundation, but Smith’s gritty half-centuryat the second time of asking was just as crucial. “Among all my wins as captain, this one stands out. Knowing what was going around the team, the light problem in this Test, it has to rank as my best win and there are a few guys who have been longer than me in the dressing room who feel the same. We performed well as a unit,” said Smith, deflecting attention away from his own fortunes. “We were honest enough about the fact that we didn’t play well as a team atthe Wanderers. We had a good chat within the team and every guy put up hishand, said where we needed to improve, and also pointed out the areaswhere we could attack them.”