"Thanks, Lady Luck", read a banner under the gloomy day five dusk at Durban. The dying moments of 2004 left the South African dressing room relieved after England gave them a huge scare despite the hosts raising their ante in the Boxing Day Test. England initially appeared complacent, but staged an extraordinary comeback and set up a splendid opportunity for victory.

Cricket is a mind game as much as it is a physical sport. England in recent times have displayed great fighting spirit after being a mediocre performing unit for most of the last decade. It requires tremendous amounts of guts and self-belief to make a turnaround, and full credit to Duncan Fletcher and his boys for doing so.

While it was not beyond South Africa to bat for four sessions to save the Test, the hosts were still struggling to establish a stable line-up. With a spate of youngsters lining up to replace some of the more formidable names, the team has struggled to define rigid roles to each and every member who finds his name in the final eleven. It can be quite disconcerting a factor for a player trying desperately to retain his place in the side, to have to constantly re-strategize his game plan.

In an age when sterling all-rounders are becoming a rare breed, it is hard for players like Andrew Hall to know what the criteria is to become a cognizant face on the playing field. Zander de Bruyn made an encouraging start to his Test career with a tough series against India, but his showing against England came to nought. Hashim Amla has shown sparks of brilliance, but is not sure whether it is enough to win him a place for the Cape Town Test. Martin van Jaarsveld has been a case of fits and starts, but his showing in the second innings at Durban means he has at least one more life.

Jacques Rudolph came into the South African side with oodles of talent and vindicated those who had picked him with a tremendous double century, albeit against Bangladesh, on his Test debut. He appears a veteran already in the prominent one-down position. Of course, Jacques Kallis has remained South Africa's mainstay with unswerving excellence.

Abraham de Villiers opened the batting at Port Elizabeth and did reasonably well. But he then made way for the flamboyant and experienced Herschelle Gibbs. As luck would have it, Thami Tsolekile, briefly handed the gloves for the tour to India and the first Test against England, was dropped, and de Villiers quickly changed gears to fill in as a wicketkeeper. While the job may not be new to him, this interim period, wherein the management is jousting with performances of players to reconstruct a more steady and stable line-up, South Africa have to brace themselves for defeats and sometimes, for heart-stopping action as that at Kingsmead, Durban in the second Test.

With two days to regroup and despite the constant chopping and changing, South Africa must forget their narrow escape at Durban and focus on their lion-hearted bowling in England's first innings and assertive batting in South Africa's second innings. This will infuse them with positive thoughts and that will help them give a much better account of themselves at Cape Town.