Onions repeats on Proteas as Durham stars battle on

Jan 8 2010 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

GRAHAM Onions is starting to make a habit of this.

If the man from Gateshead is not careful he will become better known for rearguard batting than his fast bowling.

But even more important than his tail-end heroics is the fact England are making a habit of this.

First Cardiff (Onions was 12th man), then Centurion, now Cape Town. If only England could get all five Tests switched to Canberra, they would be nailed-on to retain the Ashes.

After a year at the helm, captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower have moulded a talented but inconsistent team. Too often good performances are followed by bad. But crucially, the Three Lions’ resilience means poor showings do not automatically lead to defeats.

With characters like Onions and his Durham team-mate Paul Collingwood (right) England have a toughness without which all the talent in the world is useless.

Other sides have more ability, but England are squeezing an impressive amount out of theirs.

The character Australia showed a day earlier when they somehow snatched victory over Pakistan from the jaws of defeat is what every side should aspire to.

Not getting into the mess in the first place would be better still, of course, but no team can go through a Test series without hitting a sticky patch (unless they are at home to Bangladesh perhaps).

And for all that beating South Africa in their own backyard would actually be a better achievement, it is still the thought of returning from Australia with The Urn which captivates English cricket fans. During a period of flux in world cricket, the Baggy Greens may no longer be top dogs but, as they reminded us in Sydney, they remain formidable.

And former Durham University student Strauss could not hope for a better legacy as captain than to be the first English captain to win a series Down Under since Australian cricket was in the doldrums in the mid-1980s.

For now, though, beating South Africa is the challenge, and not one to be under-estimated.

Their performances since might not always have backed it up, but the Proteas started the Test series as officially the best five-day side on the planet.

If England can avoid defeat in Johannesburg, where the weather could favour a draw, they will return home having outplayed their hosts at both 50-over and Test cricket.

Yesterday’s events had non-cricket lovers shaking their heads at the thought of five days of sport ending without a result.

But in cricket a draw IS a result – and on enemy territory, after three days with your backs to the wall, a bloody good one at that.