I really don't get how anyone can be content with this result. Today, we had the chance to make history, to break records, to reinforce our dominance in test cricket... Instead, our cowardly decision revealed nothing more than our lack of confidence in our own abilities.
You can't just say that 'had we been offered a draw yesterday, we would've taken it'. Yesterday we didn't need 16 runs to win with three overs remaining. If you want to use that logic then had you had been offered a draw at tea time today, would you have been so keen to take it? No! The game was ours to win..
But it isn't even the result that mattered. It was the attitude! We pride ourselves on never giving up, and that's exactly what we did today. We had the opportunity to chase down the highest total in history, and we gave up! We got so close, and we gave up! 1388 runs had been scored in the match when Dale came in and with a mere 16 left, we gave up!
I don't buy the story that Dale and Vernon made the call. You could see how annoyed they were about having to hold back. Vernon looked upset after every delivery and Steyn's face said it all when he hit the last ball for six. Like he was making a point.
Either way, i'd rather we lost knowing that we had tried than drawn knowing that we had given up. At least we could have proudly said that we tried. There would've been no shame in losing a match when chasing 458, nobody could've expected us to get it. Sadly, there's tons of shame in falling 8 runs short of the highest run chase in history when you still had three wickets in hand.
I have never before doubted Smith's role as captain. But if we wish to remain number one, we cannot do so with a wimp of a leader. The number one team in the world doesn't settle for a draw (at home) under those circumstances. At tea today, India could only have wished for a draw. Now they got it, and the momentum is on their side. They know that Smith is going to be under huge pressure if we lose the next match (and hence the series). This decision is going to come back to haunt us!