South African captain Dean Elgar said there were reasons for his poor form but chose to keep the details a mystery, even as journalists pressed him for an answer.
South Africa had no trouble when they batted for their first equalizer in almost six years on the final day of the third Test in Sydney on Sunday, denying Australia a series of shutouts.
Australia could only muster two wickets in South Africa’s second innings with skipper Dean Elgar misfiring once more along with Heinrich Klaasen.
Elgar went down for the fourth time in the series to a catch on the side of goalie Alex Carey’s leg for 10.
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Cummins peppered him with a rising pitch and targeted Elgar’s hitting technical flaw in his hips for another cheap dismissal.
Elgar finished a miserable series with just 56 runs in six innings at an average of 9.33, raising even more questions about his future as South African Test captain.
Speaking to reporters after the final day’s play, Elgar admitted he was “irritated” by the soft nature of his dismissals.
“I can take once, maybe twice, but the third time is something that irritates me a lot,” Elgar said.
“It’s something different for me. You generally have a way out and bowlers aim for that. Obviously this is something new and 10 years into a test race, it’s foreign territory for me.
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“It’s something to potentially reflect on and you can say it’s bad luck or not. I’m going to keep an open mind about it and take a look.”
When he tried to explain away the crash, Elgar told reporters he didn’t chalk it up to a “form thing” but that there were “other aspects” behind it.
“Which you don’t have to know,” he added.
When asked about the details of those Laker “skins” at the press conference, Elgar was reluctant to go into detail.
“I’m not going to answer that yet,” he said.
“But it’s purely cricket.”
On a broader note, Elgar said there were many lessons for the group as a whole after the series, adding that touring Australia is “never easy”.
“The message to the group yesterday was to fight on day five,” Elgar said.
“Only three or four guys have played here before, so there are a lot of learnings. It is a difficult place to travel, perhaps the most difficult in the world.
“Test cricket teaches you resilience. When things are not on your side, you still have to wake up and try again.
