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Johannesburg - Stand-in captain Tim Paine resumed his innings in Australia's first innings on Sunday morning 5*, and batting with a broken thumb.
With his side in tatters at 110/6, Paine then combined for a 99-run stand with Pat Cummins (50) that almost got the visitors through to the end of the first session unscathed.
The last man to fall, Paine was eventually out for 62 as Australia were dismissed for 221 - not a bad effort given where they were overnight.
With the ghastly week that the Australians have had to endure, their efforts on Sunday were impressive.
They are still nowhere near saving the Test match - South Africa lead by 401 with seven second-innings wickets left - but they were significantly better on Sunday than they were in the first two days.
In a series where sides have resorted to verbals and illegal activities to gain an advantage, Paine on Sunday showed that sometimes all it takes is a bit of grit.
"We were really disappointed with the way things went yesterday and we spoke about that," the skipper said at the end of the day.
"Today, to come out and have a response, I thought we showed spirit and the fight with the bat.
"Then with the discipline our bowlers showed, I thought we didn’t get the wickets that we perhaps deserved.
"But I was really proud at the way they stuck at it. I thought our fielding energy right through the innings was excellent. That’s what we’re about."
On his own injury, Paine was never in any doubt about whether he would carry on.
"Yeah, you want to play, don’t you?" he said.
"The initial hit hurt and I was hoping if I gave it 5-10 minutes it might settle down. It hurts a little bit but as I said I’ve had my fair share of finger injuries, compared to a couple of them this one isn’t too bad."
