Playing for pride is of utmost importance for us going forward now: Dean Elgar

Dean Elgar, the captain of South Africa, stated that his team still stands a chance at winning the third and final game of the three-match series against Australia. The Proteas, who once had a chance to surpass India in the WTC points standings, have dropped to fourth place, below Sri Lanka, with a points percentage of 50, having lost their previous two fixtures against Australia.

Australia clinched the series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead, and South Africa will be entering the third Test on the back of two consecutive defeats. In the previous game, at the conclusion of the first innings, Australia took a commanding lead of 386 runs over South Africa after they were bowled out for 189, courtesy of a double century by David Warner and a hundred by Alex Carey.

Then, in their second innings, the visiting side was dismissed for 204 runs as Australia won the game by an innings and 182 runs. However, Elgar is optimistic that the Proteas can still win the New Year's Test, which is set to begin on Wednesday, January 4.

“We are playing for the badge, playing for the pride of our team. We've got to believe we can still bounce back and put up a massive effort for the third Test. Playing for pride is of the utmost importance for us going forward now. I'm sure there are a lot of guys hurting. I can tell you that,” Elgar was quoted as saying by India Today.

South Africa are scheduled to play three more Tests in the WTC 2021-23 cycle

Theunis de Bruyn, one of South Africa's finest batters, won't be available for the upcoming game as he will be returning home for the birth of his first child. He had replaced Rassie van der Dussen in the second game, but he managed to score only 12 and 28 in the two innings. With him returning back home, Van der Dussen will be expected to come back into the side.

South Africa would be looking forward to winning the third game so as to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash. They’d also be looking forward to winning the two-match Test series against West Indies, which is set to commence on February 28, 2023.