Cricket: Test will never be forgotten

Players can't explain what happened, but Australia and South Africa will never forget the emotional roller coaster that was the historic first cricket test in Cape Town.

Losing captain Michael Clarke said it was the lowest moment of his career.

Winning skipper Graeme Smith hailed it as one of the all-time great revivals.

Australia all out for 284 in the first innings.

South Africa collapsing to 96 in the second to give the tourists a 188-run lead.

The Aussies imploding for 47 in the third.

And the Proteas cruising to the 236-run victory target with eight wickets and two and a half days to spare.

"The performance with the bat, I've never experienced anything that bad. We were 9-21," said Clarke. "That's unacceptable, I've never been more disappointed."

Clarke sent a clear message to his players, by scheduling a training session the morning after their humiliation. The side were originally intending to take the day off given the Cape Town match finished more than two days early, but Clarke insisted on a session.

Although the hitout was optional, Clarke won't want anyone except fitness-affected players treating it that way. Smith said the Proteas were joking on the field about bowling Australia out for 70. Little did they know they'd overestimated their opponents.

"It's a very difficult one to explain but it's got to be one of the great comebacks in test cricket," Smith said.

"At 9-21 it was quite an incredible sight. Even when I was a young schoolboy I don't think I've ever seen a scorecard like that, it was quite incredible." For only the second time ever, one day played host to part of each of the four innings. Twenty three wickets fell on the chaotic day two, the most in a single day since 1902.

That night a full moon cast its shadow over Table Mountain and at one point the next day South Africa needed 111 runs to win at 11.11am local time on the 11/11/2011. It was just one of those games.

On day two, 17 consecutive batsmen from both teams were out in single figures and a wicket fell approximately once every nine minutes for nearly a four-hour period.

The match was over before lunch on day three, and that's not taking into account a near-two hour rain delay on the first morning.

"I said earlier it must be some sort of a record, I finished my fielding and batting within two days and it rained," said South African opener Jacques Rudolph.

Brilliant centuries by Smith and Hashim Amla steered their side home.

Classy No 3 Amla cracked 112 from 134 balls and was ably assisted by skipper Smith (101 not out) as the Proteas reached the victory target of 236 to take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-test series.

- AAP