South Africa v Australia: Wicketkeeper Tim Paine to captain long-term

Tim Paine’s captaincy appears to have been endorsed for the long-term as the Aussies fight to resurrect their reputation.

Australian captain Tim Paine looks around as Pat Cummins just makes his ground at the Wanderers. Picture: AP

Good guys finish fourth, but it seems to be a price the Australians cricket team are prepared to pay at this stage if it gives them a chance of resurrecting the reputation of the national team.

Tim Paine’s Australians have signalled a new era with their approach as the team risks slipping behind New Zealand on the international rankings if the Kiwis can draw or win in the final day of their Test match against ­England.

Paine’s captaincy appears to have been endorsed, with Cricket Australia director Mark Taylor calling him the “permanent ­solution” over the weekend.

He has presented as a clean skin, conducting the last Test in a new spirit: congratulating opposition batsmen, joking with them between overs and suggesting ­opposition side’s shake hands to kick-off a series.

No vice-captain has been appointed but a hint was given on the team sheets for this match when Mitchell Marsh was nominated by a team official and then had his position redacted.

Pat Cummins is another whose name has been in the ring.

Cricket Australia will search for a new coach to replace Darren Lehmann soon and has not ruled out looking overseas. Justin Langer was considered next in line, but nothing is guaranteed. Jason ­Gillespie is another whose name has been bandied about.

HOW YESTERDAY UNFOLDED

There is plenty of pain ahead for a side without its two best ­batsman and a young opener who was their highest run scorer. Paine broke his thumb on the second day of this match and has ongoing ­issues with an index finger, which has undergone seven operations and kept him from the game for several seasons.

He has until June before the next game — an ODI series against England — and says there is no danger of it causing him to miss that.

“I haven’t spoken about it; all we know at the moment is some sort of break in it,” he said.

“It’s all in place, which is good. Barring ­another hit in this Test it should be OK. I’ve played through worse.”

Cummins has been superb in his 13th consecutive Test since ­returning to cricket last year. ­Returning to where it all started seven years ago, he took a five-wicket haul in the first innings and made a half-century with Paine when the side needed to show some fight in the first innings. “We all know how good Pat is as an all-round cricketer,” Paine said. “I think this tour he’s been superb. He was fantastic in the Ashes as well.

“The pleasing thing for Pat is that he’s starting to get some real consistent cricket into him and he’s playing a lot of cricket, bowling a lot of overs and he’s getting through it. So I think the confidence he’s getting out of that is holding him in really good stead going forward.”

Before changing his mind and deciding to retire at the end of this match Lehmann had acknowledged the side had to acknowledge it had played the game in the wrong spirit. He even suggested that they take a leaf from New Zealand’s book.

Paine indicated the side would not be sledging anymore.

Australia has two Tests against Pakistan in the UAE later this year then hosts India for four and Sri Lanka for two in the summer.

A full-strength Australian side was thrashed two-nil by Pakistan in 2014 under Michael Clarke’s captaincy.

A home series against India, the No 1 side in the world, with no Warner or Smith presents as a massive challenge.

Former Indian cricketers, like others in the game, have expressed sympathy for the Australian ­situation.

Harbhajan Singh, who fought a battle in 2008 against a ban for ­alleged racism, said the ban against Smith was ridiculous.

“At some point in time, all international teams must have done things to get the ball to reverse. It’s not a crime like match-fixing, but at the same time, they are trying to change the nature of the game,” Harbhajan said. Matt Renshaw has won his back at the top of the order alongside another former opener Joe Burns. The pair arrived in South Africa on the eve of the final Test after playing in the Sheffield Shield final.

Renshaw said it was some comfort having state team mates to bat with — Usman Khawaja at first drop is also from Queensland.

“(Burns) manages to relax me a little bit, he’s quite a funny bloke,” he said.

“It’s nice have him and ­obviously Uzzie in the top three.

“It’s a different top three but it’s a similar top three for us Queensland guys, so it’s nice to have that consistency from Queensland to here. All three of us are just hoping for a few runs this game.’’