Calcutta: The dramatic events in Perth and Melbourne had almost made it inevitable that the end to the Sydney Test would not belong to the mundane or obvious.

There was a certain inevitability that Graeme Smith would be involved in the final act, and so it turned out to be. He came into bat to a heroic reception with eight overs and two balls still to be bowled and Makhaya Ntini as his partner.

South Africa could not have won but a draw was still very much on the table, particularly as both Ntini and Dale Steyn ended up defying the odds for an hour and a half each and Paul Harris also batted an invaulable 53 minutes. How ironic it should be that Smith was eventually the last man out — only 10 balls away from the safe haven of an honourable draw — beaten by a delivery from Mitchell Johnson.

“It probably would have bowled me even if I had two fit arms to deal with it,” said Smith, according to information forwarded by Cricket South Africa.

Even in defeat he was able to maintain the good humour that has been a feature of his campaign throughout the tour. “As the senior batsman Makhaya should have protected me from the strike,” he joked.

Ricky Ponting said watching Smith bat with a broken finger and an injured elbow is one of the bravest things he has ever seen in his life.

Doffing his hat at his opposite number, Ponting said Smith proved his worth as a leader by defying pain and coming out to bat when his team needed it.

“I said that to him after the game. That showed a lot of courage,” Ponting said.

“That’s what every team looks to from their leader. To show that fighting spirit, to stand up when they are needed, to get out and do a job no matter how sore or tired you might be,” he added.

Smith’s demeanour did not come close to telling the pain he has lived through in the last few weeks or the drama that went on in the South African dressing room to get him on the field. He had not expected to bat and, although his bat, pads, gloves and other protective equipment were at the ground, the only playing clothing he had was the trousers he had used to wrap up his bats.

“I arrived here without any kit. I had some pants that I shoved in my cricket bag to protect my bats, and I managed to borrow a shirt from Jacques and a pullover from Harry that still had a hamburger stain on the front-left side of it,” Smith quipped.

“I had Morne (Morkel) dressing me and putting my shoes on and pads on. I think deep inside I didn’t really want to get out there,” said the Proteas captain.

Smith said he didn’t take pain-killers either.

“I don’t think anything would have helped and I didn’t think about having an injection or anything like that. It was just about getting out there and doing the best I could.”

Neil McKenzie and manager/doctor Mohammed Moosajee chimed in by turning his batting gloves into a type of splint and off he went to defy the Australians.

“I probably decided 25 overs out. I started padding up as Makhaya went out to bat. I think that was a great partnership, and I hoped they would pull off a miracle and bat right through, but then I decided to go out there and give it my best shot, and if I got a first-baller or whatever, at least I tried. That was what was going through my head,” Smith said.