Draw shows how much the Test meant

While we're left wondering what might have been had either team pushed for a win in the final stages of a wonderful Test match, we'd do well to remember that it's difficult for players to take calls that could possibly undo five days of hard work

"This. Is. Awesome."

Those who watch World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) know that chant well. You can hear it during the great, long matches when the wrestling and the play-acting come together perfectly. When a staggering wrestler pulls great technical manoeuvres out of nowhere. When the other clearly exhausted fighter finds a way to pull out of submission holds. Dragging inch by inch to the rope, escaping the hold and buying time. Then he makes a comeback. However, when he unleashes his finishing move, the other wrestler kicks out of it. It is all unbelievable. On the day, the two are great equals. Whatever one guy can throw, the other takes it before hitting back. It all builds up the "this is awesome" chant.

Now WWE loves to tease you. It can't let that feud end on one night. You can't have a clear winner on the night. It likes to build up to later matches so that the rivalry can go on for months. Often, there is contrived outside interference to make the heel (the bad guy) win and the face (the good guy) lose. There is no clear winner on the night, but both wrestlers take away moral victories. They come back to fight again the next week.

This Test. Was. Awesome. Except that it was real. There was a real 35-year-old bowling eight-over spells, throwing himself around to save singles. There was a real man under pressure to save his place in the side, braving pain between his thumb and index finger for 50 overs, facing the hard cricket ball and taking the bottom hand off every time it hit the bat hard. There was a bowler with a toothache trying to win it with the bat. There was a young man in his second Test directly hitting the stumps to try and turn the match around. A man struggling to stand on his feet was padded up to come out to bat, should it come to it. All of that for a draw. Unlike WWE, there was no outside interference.

When they are done claiming moral advantage, trying to turn the psychological screw into each other, both the teams will sit down and reflect on what a great Test this was. A match in which time, such a beautiful concept, became an entity with life of its own.

On the fourth morning, India tried to just bat out time so South Africa didn't have enough to force a win. It was almost a dead period, but it was giving India insurance before they took the game forward. Later during that day, they rushed through their overs because now the time was different. The same team, pushing to get as many overs in, had to slow down on the final afternoon because losing had become a possibility now.

This was a match where the possibility of the draw messed around with otherwise clear heads. This is what Test cricket does to you. It is not just about scoring runs or winning matches. Saving the match is an option. If South Africa didn't have that option, there is every chance they would have won it after the great partnership between Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers. If that option wasn't available, there is every chance South Africa would have perished going for the win, possibly playing injudicious shots.

There was something about having worked hard for four-and-half days that made the players give it their all. In the 82nd over, du Plessis' thumb jarred against the handle, leaving him in visible pain. For quite a few overs after that, he kept getting some attention during the over beaks. He took painkillers. He would have received more treatment during the tea break. When he started out, he couldn't even have known where he was headed.

Du Plessis came in ahead of a legend, Jacques Kallis, because the legend had to bowl too much in the absence of the injured Morne Morkel. There was no way du Plessis could have thought of a draw or a win when he began with three-and-a-half sessions to go. He just batted and batted and batted. When he was hit, he lived with the pain. When the ball misbehaved, he took the bottom hand off. When he got edges that didn't go to hand, he put them behind him. He brought his team to within 16 runs of the most amazing win, but ran himself out.

Try figuring out how it feels. To go from a certain defeat to hopes of saving the game to being favourites for the win to watching his team-mates somehow coming back with just the draw. Try figuring out how it feels for Virat Kohli. He came this close to becoming the first man - not just a visitor - to scoring two centuries in a Wanderers Test. He went through the rollercoaster over the last day and half in the field. He saw good balls and edges produced not go to hand. He saw freakish deliveries and the only ordinary decision of the match keep his side alive. He saw an out-of-form du Plessis pull out one of the great rearguards. He saw Zaheer Khan bowling over after over, putting in dive after dive and running to midwicket to back up throws when bowling.

After all but three overs of the five days, it all came down to the gambler's instinct. A gambler who has to risk all his winnings for the jackpot. With 16 runs to go in three overs - an injured Morkel and a classical No. 11 Imran Tahir in the shed - Dhoni asked two of South Africa's most verbal men, Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn, if they felt like risking it all. He would have been all over South Africa had they lost a wicket then, but then there was the win, the historic win to go for.

This was between a side that was given no chance before the series by many and a side that all upbeat. They had both brought it down to this. Who had the heart to risk it?

The rule of gambling is, you should know when to walk away. When you walk away, though, you have to live with that feeling of "what if".

What if you had gone ahead with that final bet? There are no right or wrong decisions here. Dhoni could have attacked with four slips and a gully. South Africa could have taken the singles and seen what they could have done in the last over. We were not in the middle, though. We don't know how much is at stake. India's bowlers had bowled almost 50 overs each. Imagine losing and trying to recover for a Test in three days' time. South Africa had defied all odds. Imagine losing a home Test after scoring 450 in the final innings.

So we had a slightly contrived end. India, in their push to bowl as many overs to go for the win, had bowled one over more than they should have by the time the mandatory overs began. It seemed, initially, like that would hurt India, but after du Plessis' run-out and JP Duminy's wicket it seemed like that over could actually be the one where India could force a result. Ironically, though, that extra over turned out to be a non-event. Both teams chose to walk away. They will wonder what might have happened had they had gone for the win. That's hindsight, though. In the middle, in that atmosphere, it is difficult to take calls that can possibly undo all the hard work done by their team-mates.

So we have no clear winner. Only moral victories. The feud shall continue. If this was happening in a squared circle, you would have heard, "This. Is. Awesome."

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Whose win should it have been anyway?

'Shocked SA didn't push for a win' - Kohli

This great Test ended with both teams blaming the other for not going for the win, trying to claim a psychological advantage.

Until Faf du Plessis' run-out, with 16 to get off 20, it was anybody's guess which team was more desperate to win and which was going for safety, but both the sides waited for the other to make the play in the last three overs.

India began to bowl bouncers to Dale Steyn, who seemed content to not play them. They then sent all nine fielders to the boundary in the penultimate over, faced by Vernon Philander who was striking the ball well. Zaheer Khan bowled full and wide, but Philander kept turning down the single. The last two balls were harmless bouncers, which didn't seem to faze Philander.

In the last over too, Steyn didn't show much intent to go for the win until there were only three balls left. The crowd present for the rollercoaster game booed both the teams in the end.

Man-of-the-Match Virat Kohli fired the first salvo when he came for the press conference. "Everyone was pretty shocked honestly," Kohli said of South Africa's approach. "We didn't think that they would stop going for the score because with eight runs an over and with Philander striking the ball pretty well - and he can bat, we have seen that in the past - I don't know what happened. We had our plans, and that was going for the wickets but to see them not going for that score was pretty surprising for all of us."

In response, Graeme Smith pointed out to the fields set during the penultimate over. "They (India) certainly didn't have four slips, short leg and a gully," Smith said. "I can throw the thing back at you if you want. I think certainly they didn't play like a team that had been wanting to win the game. In the end probably a fair result for both the teams. I know there is a lot of emotion around, public sentiment, naturally so, but as a team I think we are in a strong position going into Durban."

Smith said MS Dhoni had reason to be more disappointed after how well they had done over the first four days. "I'd be surprised if MS didn't feel that his bowlers should have won the game for them," Smith said. "I would certainly as a captain - 450-460 on the board, 132 [136] overs - you have got to believe that on this surface you have the bowling attack that will do the job. Credit to our guys and the way we played. One thirty-two overs with a short turnaround to the next Test, there are probably a few things that they are thinking about.

"Certainly they were ahead of the game. I think they will be very disappointed they didn't win the game. There was certainly a huge amount in that wicket to work with to win the Test. Knowing the mental drain it is to play from behind from day two… Day two was an extremely difficult day to bat. Once we were behind, it was always going to be difficult to make a play. Credit to the guys and the ability that we have. The mental strength and the ability to find a way to get something out of this Test match, we have done extremely well with that."

Kohli disagreed with Smith's assessment of India's intent. "Most part of that last session, we were looking to attack," Kohli said. "Not so when Faf and AB [de Villiers] were playing. The moment AB got out, all we looked to do was get wickets and get the result our way. We were never aiming for a draw. Or thinking that we needed to draw this game."

Kohli said that South Africa's refusal to go for the win had renewed India's confidence. "If you ask me if we claim an emotional victory, we were on top on the first four days of the Test match," Kohli said. "The fifth day they played brilliantly, but in the end when they had the chance to actually go for the total, they didn't. That was surprising for us. That revived or rejuvenated our confidence once again. It doesn't feel nice when there is a big partnership. You are low and down, and the bowlers cannot put in so much of effort continuously. But they gave us an opening in the end again so I think we take a lot of confidence from that."

There was respect, though, for how difficult it was to beat South Africa. "It was not easy when Faf and AB were batting," Kohli said. "It was a fifth day's wicket, and Ashwin was getting a bit of bounce and a bit of turn when they were batting but I think for the fast bowlers it was difficult. I think they bowled pretty well throughout this Test match. They kept attacking the stumps. If you see, there were so many edges falling to the right or left of the fielder, so many inside-edges missing the stumps.

"I think we bowled well, but we have to accept that those two guys batted brilliantly. They showed a lot of character, and that is why they are the No. 1 side in the world. It is not easy to defeat them in a Test match, and you have to fight it out, and it was totally the brilliance of their batting."

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Smith defends safety-first tactics

South Africa's captain supports Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn's decision to play it safe, in the face of criticism from the crowd and former players

'India didn't show enough desire to win' - Smith

The Wanderers crowd are an unforgiving lot. Even though they did not fill the stadium once - with work commitments, holiday season and threatening weather keeping them away - they made their voices heard when Dale Steyn sent Vernon Philander back in the third-last over of the day and when Philander returned the favour in the next one.

Loud boos echoed around the ground for every refused run. South Africa had 16 to get off the last three overs and had shut shop. The fans were asking why.

Graeme Smith explained the decision was made by the two batsmen at the crease and was not a team order. They considered who South Africa had left to bat and made their decision based on that.

"Ultimately the guys out in the middle, what they thought was in the best interest of the team," Smith explained. "Morne [Morkel] struggling to stand really. And Immy [Imran Tahir] - he would probably say himself that you are not too sure what you are going to get from Immy. I think we as a team have to support the decision Dale and Vernon made in the middle."

Smith said, at that stage, no messages went out to Philander or Steyn. "You can't send out messages between overs. That is not allowed," he said, but confirmed Steyn had gone out with some instructions. "The message was to set it up for the last over. Then there were a couple of maidens bowled, which made it difficult. I think ultimately we needed to give Vernon an opportunity to win us the game. I think he was the guy that probably would have done that. It never happened," Smith said.

"Ultimately the strength of this team is that there are good decision makers. Each guy is mature. They've made great decisions over a period of time which have won cricket games for South Africa. I think that's how we have got to No. 1 - by trusting each other and trusting each others' decision making. Dale and Vernon have 100% support from me."

When asked if being eight runs away from history left Smith gutted, he held his line. "Guys, if you want me to say that I disagree with what Dale and Vernon did, I am not going to say that," he said. "I think I have answered that question enough today. I think I have covered that."

South Africa's decision not to chase victory came under scrutiny from more than just the few thousand people in the stadium. Herschelle Gibbs, who tweeted that it would be a "bigger victory than the 438 game" during the last hour thinking South Africa had won, corrected himself when he realised they were still batting. "I'd rather go down going for a win than a draw," he posed, following it up with "As in life, no point going down wondering."

Johan Botha also thought South Africa were in with a chance, although his approach was more measured. He tweeted. "Game on!! Watching from Hobart. Get it down to around 50 only four or five down, then a big chance." South Africa needed 56 to win when AB de Villiers chopped Ishant Sharma on to leave them five down.

By that stage, du Plessis confirmed he was looking at survival first and if he was there in the last five overs, he would have gone for it. He was there until there were three overs left and that was when South Africa shut shop. Smith explained it as being partly due to so much being at stake in the first Test, because the series was so short. "In a two-Test series, with one match to go, there is an opportunity to go and win the series in Durban. We have to believe in the decision that Dale and Vernon made," he said.

It was also, he said, a fitting response to a game in which South Africa had been playing catch-up for most part and didn't think they would win. "Even at lunch today I don't think we believed we will get as close as we did. We were just playing. That was our chat this morning. To make sure we build a partnership. We knew, to save the game we would have to have a session without losing wickets. We got that after lunch. We played it beautifully," he said.

"From day two we have been behind the game. I don't think many people gave us a chance to be in this position. As a team, we showed the mental strength and the ability to handle pressure and the ability to understand what needs to be done.

"We saw two of the greatest innings played in recent history. I think we need to appreciate the effort. I hope people through the emotion of wanting more always can see and respect the efforts that the team has certainly put in. We fought hard, and were able to show enough skill to get something out of this game. The fact that everyone is talking about Test cricket, the fact that everyone is talking about this game, is wonderful for the game of cricket. It will certainly go down as one of the great games."

With that in mind and the knowledge that South Africa's fighting draw in Adelaide eventually led to them winning the next Test in Perth and Smith alluded to them doing the same here. Durban is somewhat of a hoodoo venue of them - they have lost their last four Tests at Kingsmead - so to go there with a chance of still winning, rather than drawing the series, was important.

One person who recognised that was Iain O'Brien, the former New Zealand fast bowler, who believed South Africa took the right approach. "For me, SA did the right thing," he tweeted. "They were amazing to NOT lose that Test. Special draw for SA. Demoralising one for India. Epic cricket."

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Saving this Test 'little bit harder' than Adelaide - du Plessis

'Faf a player for the big occasion'

When Faf du Plessis batted seven hours and 46 minutes to save South Africa in the Adelaide Test, he was a man on debut who "thought it was possible" to bat for more than four sessions but actually "didn't believe I could". When he walked in with nine overs to go on the fourth evening against India at the Wanderers and a day of batting ahead of him, he "knew I could do it".

	'Drew inspiration from Adelaide innings' - du Plessis

Experience can make all the difference.

Du Plessis has played eight Test matches between Adelaide and Johannesburg, has scored another hundred in that time, battled through a barren period that has included a trip to the UAE and has been elevated to South Africa's Twenty20 captaincy. With that has come understanding of what needs to be done when and how, and he applied that today.

He knew that even though this would require less time at the crease than in Adelaide from him, it would be tougher because of conditions. "This wicket was a little bit harder," he admitted. "In Adelaide, it was quite flat and there was not a lot of seam movement but I knew this was going to be a real challenge. There was consistent bounce outside off stump."

As he did then, he broke the task of eating the elephant into bites. This morning, he just wanted to bat time. When he was joined by AB de Villiers, his long-time school friend, they divided the time into mini-sessions. "The first challenge was to get to the new ball," he said. "Myself and AB wanted to get through that, so I was really pleased with the way we did that."

The pair batted for 13.2 overs before lunch and six after, before the second new ball arrived. In that time, their partnership was worth fifty and their only concern was to stay together. Run-scoring remained difficult, especially with India's seamers getting movement, and it was only after tea, when their stand had grown greater than 150, that they began to think a place in history was presenting itself.

"I started to think about the win when myself and AB started getting some momentum and were scoring four runs an over quite regularly," du Plessis said. "Our plan was to bat until the last 10 overs. From there, we'd try and get anything."

Those thoughts were scuppered when de Villiers played on in the third over of the last hour. "Then I just wanted to bat the innings through," du Plessis said. Nine balls later, JP Duminy was also out and du Plessis knew it all rested on him. "When JP got out, I knew I had to stay in because if I got out, we would be in trouble."

But at the other end, Vernon Philander ensured there was still a match to be won. "Vernon came in and made it closer. I just wanted to stay there. Until the last five overs, I just wanted to be there. I was very defensive, very tight."

But then, an error came. "Then I wanted to join the party," he said. "In hindsight, I should have hit that ball over his head for four." That ball is the one du Plesiss hit straight at Ajinkya Rahane and ran off. He was well short of his ground when the throw came in and knew the game was up.

As he crossed the boundary to leave and Dale Steyn entered the ring, du Plessis was "too exhausted" to say anything. "When you get out, your concentration levels just go out," he said. "I just went back to the changeroom and lay on my back and starred at the TV."

Not only had du Plessis spent more than a day batting, he had done a lot of it with the help of painkiller to numb his aching hand. "In between my thumb and index finger, the handle keeps jarring," he said. Du Plessis was hit at the end of 82nd over but said that was not the source of his pain. "There was a lot of bounce so every time the ball hit the splice, the handle jarred into my hand. After 300 or whatever balls, it hurt."

With pain on one side, du Plessis at least had satisfaction on the other. His century was the first time he has crossed fifty in nine innings and ended a lean patch that has also seen him dropped from the one-day squad. His match-saving efforts put his career back on track.

"I'm very satisfied that we pulled it through. This morning a lot of people wrote us off," he said. "I was really happy with the way I played, constructed my innings and left the ball."

He was also pleased with how he put a lid on his feelings as the innings went on. "I was very good until I got a 100. A lot of emotion comes through your body then." Du Plessis celebration after reaching the landmark was emphatic as he fist pumped multiple times and soaked in the warm applause, an indication of how much it meant to him.

"Over the last eight months, we played a lot of cricket in the subcontinent and a lot against Pakistan. They've got a really good attack. I was disappointed to be left out of the one-day squad but I can use this as a stepping stone to get back," he said. "It was also nice to go up the order. Jacques is not going to bowl 25 overs in every game where he needs a rest [before batting]. I enjoy going up the order. Hopefully I can get more opportunities."

Du Plessis batted at No. 4, in Kallis place because team management felt the allrounder needed an extra night's rest after bowling more than his usual quota of overs. In a position of such responsibility, du Plessis did his job and more by putting South Africa in a position from which they could win.

Although Graeme Smith said the decision to go for draw needed to be "appreciated" du Plessis expressed some sadness that South Africa did not win. "The position we got to, we'd have liked to win the game and be part of the best Test match ever," he said. "You always want to be the guy at the end that is the hero, but I couldn't do that today."

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We proved we weren't scared - Pujara

Feel responsibility to score big when set - Pujara

India's batsmen have not only surpassed expectations, they have flown in the face of suggestions that they might be scarred and scared after the battering in the ODIs. Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored his first overseas century to almost bat South Africa out of the Johannesburg Test, feels there is work is yet to be done, though.

"I think we have," Pujara said, when asked if India had answered the concerns around being scarred and sacred. "But I think it is still early and we need to do a lot. But it is a very good start for us considering the position we are in. So we just have to take confidence from it, and look to gain from whatever we have achieved in this match and carry forward from this."

That is typical Pujara, though. Always level-headed, always hungry for more runs in an understated way. Sixteen of his 25 first-class hundreds have been scores of 150 or more. "I always like to score big runs, and being a top-order batsman it's my responsibility," Pujara said. "When I score a hundred and I'm set, I should try and play longer and achieve big total for the team. So, whenever I am set I feel that for the team's purpose as well as my own achievement I should try to bat as long as possible."

Pujara was extremely cautious at the start of his innings, but once he got used to the conditions and the bowlers, he cut loose. "I was initially trying to look through the conditions as the ball was new and was doing a bit," he said. "I was being patient, and was waiting for the opportunity to accelerate. I knew the start was important, and I was batting well even in the first innings. So it was important to see through the new ball and then play my shots."

Pujara's celebration on reaching the hundred was different to his usual peaceful ones- a little more pumped up. This was his first century away from home. "There was a lot of talk about this tour, especially the Indian batsmen not doing well overseas," Pujara said, agreeing that this ton was extra special. "But I think everybody took the responsibility and did it as a unit. It was an important innings for me as well because I wanted to score runs in South Africa, considering the conditions here are a little difficult."

India ended the fourth day needing eight wickets, but South Africa are not a team to be written off. They are capable of batting a day out, or even scoring 320 runs. Pujara, though, was quietly confident about India's position because of the bounce on offer. "I think the wicket has variable bounce, and we have seen the cracks have been opening up," he said. "We are expecting that we will get more movement tomorrow from the ball that will hit the crack. Even while I was batting in the morning, I felt that the odd ball was going up and down.

"I think we are very happy with the two wickets we have got, and the conditions will be a little more difficult tomorrow. We have got enough runs on the board, and I think it will not be an issue for us. It's important for us to get a few wickets in the first session so that we can capitalise later on."

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Crafty bowler v tough batsman

Zaheer Khan and Graeme Smith have history, but the batsman survived the latest chapter of their ongoing duel

Twenty-three balls. That's all it was. It didn't prove to be decisive to the day's play. Fourteen runs came. Not even a wicket resulted. It also lost in entertainment value to the time when MS Dhoni took off his pads and bowled, and then kept without pads. You couldn't take your eye off it, though. A crafty bowler was up against a struggling batsman reputed to thrive on adversity. Zaheer Khan against Graeme Smith was the play of the fourth day, the first half of which was spent by India trying to deny South Africa enough time to force a win.

So it was right in the middle of the day that South Africa began chasing 458 in a possible 135 overs. They couldn't have thought of a win or a draw then. They just had to bat. Zaheer v Smith was not a clean slate, although an average of 31 for an opening batsman against an opening bowler isn't bad. Theirs was going to be the contest again. Smith, who arguably is the best fourth-innings batsman of all time, against Zaheer, who can think batsmen out in ways they don't realise.

Smith didn't face the first ball but don't read much into it. In 27 Tests, Alviro Petersen has taken strike 19 times. In Zaheer's second over, though, Smith was on strike. Virat Kohli was at leg gully. Clearly India had reason to have one of their best fielders there. The ball was on the pads, and Smith flicked it high to Kohli, who couldn't hold a difficult chance. Wonder how much input Zaheer had in placing that catcher. The resultant single let Smith away from the strike.

Last ball of that over, and Smith was facing again. Zaheer went back to his first-innings plan of drawing the left-hand batsman across. A wide length ball swinging away had Smith reaching well outside his off stump. Clearly the ball coming into the pads, which had dismissed him in the first innings, was on Smith's mind. The next ball Zaheer bowled to him, in the fifth over, was similarly wide and Smith played at it. To his credit he looked to play straight, but the away movement resulted in a leading edge through extra cover. Petersen negotiated the remaining deliveries, and after three Zaheer overs, Smith had faced him only three times for four iffy runs.

In Zaheer's fourth over, Smith was on strike again. Zaheer had not been able to bowl a set of deliveries at him. This time he strayed a touch, and Smith finally got a confident single. To the last three balls of that over, Smith presented the middle of the bat to one and refused to be drawn across against the next two wider ones. It was close to tea, India tried a new bowler, and Smith had survived the first examination.

By the time Zaheer returned in the 20th over, South Africa had reached 67 for no loss, and Smith was 15 off 29. Another fascinating contest ensued. The first ball from Zaheer was short and wide. Smith mistimed the cut. The next angled in, took the inside edge onto the pad, and Petersen pushed his captain for a single. Zaheer had Smith to himself for the last three balls of his next over.

When Zaheer pitched short - around 128kph on average - Smith punched solidly. When he bowled full, Smith walked into it - drawn as if by the Pied Piper - and was beaten. Zaheer smiled a smile that usually tells the batsman he has him; it is a matter of time. The over ended with a decent leave outside off, but the contest hadn't.

In his next over, the innings' 24th, Zaheer suddenly began to hide the ball. Surely it wasn't reverse-swinging so soon? What mind games was he up to? We would soon find out. He had Smith on strike for the third ball. It was full, on the pads, and was clipped for four. The fourth delivery was short of a length, outside off, and punched to cover. Zaheer then bowled on a length, on off, and was defended solidly. He had Smith playing.

Then came the surprise. On the last ball of the over, we knew why Zaheer was hiding the ball. Out came the knuckle slower-ball, first unleashed in the tie against England in the 2011 World Cup. Smith did not pick it, and spooned it off his pads. This time, though, Zaheer didn't have a leg gully who would have swallowed it. Another over ended with Zaheer smiling that smile.

In the next over, Zaheer bowled Smith a bouncer, a good one, at his body, about as high as his throat. Smith didn't duck, just got inside the line. Was this sign of growing confidence? Zaheer had him following the next ball, though, and again an over ended with a wry smile.

Soon Zaheer came on for the last over of this spell. He had Smith on strike and he was hiding the ball. Another knuckle ball, and Smith was early on it again. It one lobbed just out of Zaheer's reach, though. Smith was hanging in there. Just. Zaheer was bringing out his tricks one by one. The fourth ball of the over, following a bouncer, was bowled into Smith's ribs. Smith rode the bounce, kept it down, and placed it fine of that leg gully for two. The next delivery was when Zaheer threw it all at Smith.

He had been bowling in the late 120 kph range but this time he seared one in full, at 138kmph. Smith was hurried, not because it was too quick, but because it was a massive step up from what Zaheer had been bowling. He managed to get bat on it, though, and got off strike.

It is said about Smith that he can appear to be struggling, but when you look up he has reached 30. Here, too, Smith was 30 by the time Zaheer's second spell ended. Against the others, Smith grew in confidence. He was 44, and South Africa 108, when he took that risky single and perished. It was anti-climactic, and killed the prospect of another contest against Zaheer, but as we know it was so cricket.

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Graeme Swann retires mid-series

Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, has retired from all international cricket and first-class cricket with immediate effect.

Swann, 34, will not play in the final two Tests of the Ashes tour and will finish his career with 255 wickets at 29.96 from his 60 Tests. However, on a disappointing tour of Australia in which England have gone down 3-0 after the first three Tests, Swann has been one of the senior players who has failed to have an impact and has managed only seven wickets at 80.

He said that although he knew retirement was not far away earlier this year, given the struggle for his body to get through five-day matches, the temptation of potentially winning a fourth consecutive Ashes series had encouraged him to take part in the tour of Australia. Swann said that with the series decided and his mind made up, there was no point in playing on at the MCG or in Sydney.

"When I came out on this trip I half expected it to be my last tour for England," Swann said in Melbourne on Sunday. "I was desperately hoping to win the Ashes out here again like we did in 2010-11 but with the Ashes gone now in those three Test matches, personally I think to stay on and selfishly play just to experience another Boxing Day Test match and another Sydney Test match would be wrong.

"It would be wrong for the team, wrong for me as well. It's time for someone else to strap themselves in and enjoy the ride like I have done. It's time for England to rebuild and refocus on winning back these big series. Me hanging around with the decision already made in my head wouldn't be right.

"My body doesn't like playing the long forms of cricket. My arm doesn't cope very well with bowling 30 or 40 overs in the first innings and then repeating it in the second innings a day later anymore. I could feel my performances tapering off in the back end of games and I wasn't happy with that. I'm not willing to just hang on and get by being a bit-part player. I want to be a guy who wins matches for England, and I don't feel I was doing that in the second innings anymore.

"It is disappointing. At the end of The Oval Test match last year, I think why didn't I just stop then? I knew more or less that the time was coming up. But then I'd never forgive myself. We had the chance of coming out here and potentially winning four Ashes series on the bounce. I'd never have forgiven myself had I not come out here and given it a crack."

Swann's decision means Monty Panesar is likely to take the role of lead spinner for the remaining two Tests, but the broader question of who will be England's long-term Test spinner remains unclear. Swann himself nominated the Durham legspinner Scott Borthwick as a potential replacement who could add to the all-round "x-factor" that Ben Stokes had already brought to the team on this tour.

Swann noted that the success of Stokes, who scored England's first century of the Ashes series in their defeat at the WACA, was indicative of the way the senior men had failed to stand up on this trip. It was a very different scenario in England earlier this year, when Swann was the leading wicket taker from either side with 26 victims, and at the time it appeared that he may still have some chance of surpassing Derek Underwood to become England's leading Test spinner of all time.

However, Swann will finish 42 wickets short of Underwood's tally of 297, leaving him sixth overall on England's all-time wicket tally behind Ian Botham, James Anderson, Bob Willis, Fred Trueman and Underwood. That was a significant achievement given that Swann did not make his Test debut until the age of 29, but his consistency meant that he missed only six of the 66 Tests that England had played since then.

Since his debut in December 2008, Swann was Test cricket's leading wicket taker from any country, his 255 victims well ahead of Anderson (232), Stuart Broad (207) and Dale Steyn (205), who were the next best in that period. He was Man of the Match on six occasions, most recently for his 10-wicket haul against New Zealand at Headingley in May. Swann told his England team-mates of his decision on Sunday morning in Melbourne.

"They've all been very supportive and congratulated me on my career and wished me luck for the future," he said. "I wished them all the luck in the world. I'm an England fan and I want to see England cricket No.1 in the world, winning games and winning Ashes series. I think the core of that team in the change room are the guys to do that."

England's coach, Andy Flower, said: "Graeme Swann has made an outstanding contribution to the England cricket team in all formats throughout an incredibly successful career and I would like to congratulate him on all that he has achieved.

"His commitment, competitive spirit and sense of humour have been recognised and admired by team-mates and supporters alike and he has played a big part in England's success over the last five years. The dressing room will be a very different place without Graeme's unique personality and I would like to wish him all the very best for the future."

Swann said his personal highlights included playing in three triumphant Ashes sides, as well as the World Twenty20 success in the West Indies in 2010. Apart from his Test appearances, Swann will depart with 104 wickets from 79 one-day internationals and 51 wickets from 39 Twenty20 internationals. He also paid tribute to his two county sides, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.

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New Zealand ease to series victory

New Zealand 349 (Taylor 131, Williamson 58, Narine 6-91) and 124 for 2 (Williamson 56) beat West Indies 367 (Chanderpaul 122*, Ramdin 107, Southee 4-79) and 103 (Boult 4-23, Southee 3-12) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

New Zealand suffered few alarms as they eased to an eight-wicket victory in Hamilton to claim the series 2-0. It was their first series victory over a top-eight nation since they beat the same opposition in 2006. Kane Williamson provided the main contribution, with an elegant 56, while Hamish Rutherford was unbeaten on 48, having been required to fight a little harder.

The winning runs came at 1.45pm when Rutherford drove Narsingh Deonarine through the covers, meaning Ross Taylor could not quite score enough in the second innings to become New Zealand's leading scorer in a calendar year after Williamson had been bowled with six runs required.

The only chance West Indies had of conjuring something remarkable after yesterday's post-tea demise, where they lost 10 wickets in a session, was to grab a couple of quick breakthroughs to create some nerves in the home camp. However, Rutherford and Peter Fulton saw through the initial stages, and although Fulton chipped a return catch back to Darren Sammy - the West Indies captain's fourth sharp take of the match - the visitors could not strike in quick succession.

Narine probed away throughout the entire first session, making life tough for Rutherford who was stuck at the offspinner's end for the eighth to the 26th over. Rutherford was given out, caught behind, on 24, but the DRS showed that he had hit the ground rather than the ball. Although rarely convincing, he did collect a couple of boundaries off Narine when the bowler dropped his line short.

Williamson was more free-flowing after taking 15 deliveries to open his account. He greeted Veerasammy Permaul's first over with two classy drives, exhibiting swift footwork and confidence against the more orthodox spin of the left-armer.

A third lofted boundary by Williamson brought the end to Permaul's brief spell, and Tino Best, who has been one of the major disappointments of the series, was given a run with little impact.

After lunch, Williamson skipped to his fifty from 74 balls, his second of the match, but could not quite see the chase to its conclusion when he aimed a pull at a ball from Permaul which skidded through. The job, though, was soon completed and New Zealand were able to celebrate a convincing start to their international season. For West Indies, their Test cricket does not hold much cause for satisfaction.

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Mathews lauds Sri Lanka's spirit

Angelo Mathews said his team's two-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai was borne of spirit, after Sri Lanka chased down 286 with two balls and two wickets to spare. Sri Lanka's chase was the highest second-innings score at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, and the second-highest overall.

Mathews, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal all crossed 40 in the chase, and Nuwan Kulasekara also contributed 32 from 26 balls at a key period.

"We had to fight really hard for that win," Mathews said. "Everyone contributed in bits and pieces It was a team effort. With these Powerplays if you have wickets in hand at the end, it helps. Against Pakistan, the game is never over - you have to fight till the last ball is bowled, and we did that. With the bowling attack that Pakistan have, we have to fight all the time and we have to stay positive. We can't give the chance, because they will knock us down."

"I thought the first couple of wickets were unfortunate incidents because they were run outs while Kusal Janith and Dilshan were batting well. They got us through to a good start, and the way Sangakkara and Chandimal got us back into the game. They set it up and we had to do the needful."

Mathews also lauded Sangakkara, whose top score of 58 had provided heft to the chase. Mathews revealed though, that Lahiru Thirimanne had been slated to come in at No.3 before he injured his right ankle in the pre-match warm-ups.

"We don't have Mahela Jayawardene in the team, so the experience of someone like Kumar Sangakkara becomes invaluable when you are dealing with high-quality spinners like Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi, and you want to control the middle overs. We didn't want to make big changes, but we thought it would have been good to play Kumar Sangakkara at No. 4.

"Thirimanne got injured a few minutes before the match, but we had been planning for him to bat at No. 3. We thought we needed a solid batsman at three, and Kumar would move down to four, and then we've got Dinesh Chandimal. The more you keep wickets in hand, the easier it is to chase later in the match."

Mathews also shed light on why Kulasekara had been left out for the first ODI in Sharjah, despite his enduring consistency. Kulasekara has taken his wickets at 25.33 with an economy rate of 4.64 in 2013, making him Sri Lanka's best seam bowler since January.

"Kulasekara is a very good player, but in Sharjah we thought an extra fast bowler would be good. Kulasekara, Thisara Perera and myself bowl roughly in the same style. The Sharjah field is very small and the pitch is also very good for batting. We thought there would be some reverse swing, so that's why we called up Suranga Lakmal."

Mathews predicted a tightly contest series, after the opening two were shared had featured tense finishes. The next three matches will be played in the space of seven days.

"It'll be a very exciting series. The first game was an exciting one, and so was the second. Hopefully it will stay the same and it will be an exciting one for all of us. When we walked into the game, we were very confident and our heads were high because even though we lost the last match, we almost chased the target."

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Pujara and Kohli defy expectations

The skill and acumen exhibited by Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli in the Johannesburg Test befit batsmen who have had much longer stints in Test cricket

Match Point: 'Pujara, Kohli showed more patience than some veterans'

Cheteshwar Pujara is playing his third Test in South Africa, and his third outside Asia. Virat Kohli is in his first in South Africa, and his eighth outside Asia. The difference in conditions in Asia and elsewhere is huge: the ball bounces more, swings more, and moves more after pitching outside Asia. Despite the extra bounce, the key is to come forward at every possible opportunity. These two batsmen have not played a single first-class match on this tour. If you had taken a sabbatical from cricket, though, and had been doing whatever people do on sabbaticals from cricket, and had been sent to the Wanderers, you would have thought these were two veterans who have been playing Test cricket for 10 years. You might have even thought they were playing at home.

The reality, though, is that nobody had big expectations from them on this tour. People would have lived with failures too, as long as they didn't get out limply. However, to put India in a position to give back what they have been at the receiving end of is absolutely stunning. Think Trent Bridge, Edgbaston and The Oval. Think SCG, WACA and Adelaide Oval. India have been dished out a lot on their previous two away trips. Wonder if MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher quietly smiled at each other when Pujara and Kohli were going on the third day, never looking like getting out - that drop by Imran Tahir was against the run of play - building a big lead, grinding the opposition into the dust. The job is not done yet, but this is the kind of day India were dying to experience away from home.

Kohli had announced his arrival in the first innings, but Pujara was unfortunately run out. His turn came two days later. A 36-run first-innings lead was big on this pitch. Many a team would have tried to hit out at the top, and would have been happy had it snuck a defendable lead. Virender Sehwag tried to do that when India won in Durban the last time India were in South Africa. Here, though, India trusted themselves enough, and batted as if they were batting in the first innings. No anxiety, no nerves, just backing their games.

M Vijay's role cannot be overstated. He spent 155 of the most difficult minutes at the wicket, scoring just 39, but he blunted the new ball, and tired the weakened bowling unit in the absence of the injured Morne Morkel. Pujara, he was nearly perfect. He left the short ones well, moved forward whenever it was demanded, and defended solidly. Moving forward is one thing, but still managing to play late is quite another. Pujara did that.

Pujara let Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander blow their steam off, showing great acumen in knowing that the weaker bowlers will arrive at some stage. He knew this was going to be a long day for South Africa, and he wanted to be there to make it even longer. He was 9 off 64 at one stage, but you couldn't say he was struggling. Because he was not. He was waiting. He has done that many times in domestic cricket. His press forward began with a half-volley from Philander, the 65th ball he faced, which he put away for four. He hit two more fours relatively close to each other, but that brought the tea break, at which point he was 39 off 107.

After the break, it was time for a new start. He was restrained again. "We have got all the time, boys." This was proper Test-match batting. Off the next 17 balls he took only six, never mind that JP Duminy and Tahir had begun to bowl. He reached his fifty, and then saw Tahir drop him. About then, Pujara decided it was time to push the advantage. Once Pujara tires down the bowlers and fielders, he punishes every loose ball. Those who have seen him go from 150 to 200 in 17 balls when pushing for a declaration in a Ranji Trophy match, or those who witnessed the march - along with the tail - from 229 to 300 in 55 balls, will hardly be surprised that he went from 50 to 100 in 41 balls.

By the time Pujara does that, he has sussed out the conditions and the bowlers. And he does so with cricketing shots, without feeling the need to go in the air. There are few risks involved. It comes from solid trust in your game and technique. Pujara always had that trust, but it was pleasant to learn that he had the same confidence even in South Africa. This maturity - and that of Kohli - is hard to find in batsmen even on their third or fourth tours. On that count, these two have surpassed many an expectation.

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