Faf put to the Test – and he’s earned Proteas top marks

BEYOND what occurs in Hamilton over the next five days, the Proteas will reflect on a Test season of much gain.

A year is a long time in cricket, more so in the sincerest format of the game.

This time last year, the Proteas were looking around for a permanent leader, their options atop the order seemingly threadbare, and their spin bowling cupboard looking like most households in January.

But, a year is a long time in this game. Faf du Plessis now wears the chiselled authority of a leader well worked in the task of inspiring others, and Dean Elgar has grown in stature as the rock upon which foundations are built.

Stephen Cook continues to confuse with his fluctuations in form, but his stay of execution is the norm rather than the exception.

As we speak, there is no outstanding candidate banging down the door, as Cook himself had to in order to get in.

If anything, Cook’s struggles have re-emphasised just how big the jump to the top level is.

Perhaps an England tour still awaits, and a man who waited for so long – and so quietly – may be able to sign off a brief, but adventurous Test stint with a trip to England, to complete a royal triumvirate of England and the Antipodes.

Already, the feelers are out for his successor. It’s a necessary exercise, given the sudden swings in modern cricket.

A year ago, South African cricket couldn’t imagine a Test match without AB de Villiers. And yet, in 2017, it is the norm.

This time last year, an attacking spinner was not part of South Africa’s arsenal, but the strides that Keshav Maharaj has made have seen him become significantly more than just a run-plug for the pacemen.

Morné Morkel has bounced back, and Kagiso Rabada’s stock has swelled – and then some. Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma have transferred Lions’ dalliances into national alliances, and a stumbling top-order has been very grateful for the stability below them.

A year ago, the Proteas were still punch-drunk from India, and they were then sucker-punched by England.

They were tough times, and the rebuilding had to happen.

Du Plessis and a rejuvenated Russell Domingo will maintain that the job is still under construction, but they will also explain that the building site is a much happier place than it was a year ago.

Upon their return from Hamilton, the Proteas will reflect on a summer that saw them trounce Sri Lanka, dominate Australia, and do much the same to New Zealand.

They will look forward to avenging losses to India and England in the not too distant future, and they will look at those with relish.

Time has reminded them that they are still a force in the one format that takes its own sweet time, and that will fill them with cheer.

Their time at the top may well come again.

•Skipper Steve Smith believes clear thinking and efficient execution set his team apart from the Australian sides in the past who tried and failed in their bid to win a Test series in India, reports Reuters.

A draw in the fourth and final Test against India, starting in Dharmasala today, would be enough for Smith and his men to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, having triumphed at home in the 201415 season.

With the series level at 1-1, the 27-year-old, however, has set his eyes on a victory which would give Australia their first series win since 2004 in India, which former captain Steve Waugh termed the ‘final frontier’.

“We’ve worked very hard, guys have been pretty clear in the way they’ve wanted to play and the gameplans they’ve been able to formulate,” Smith said on the eve of the match.