Dean Elgar says Australia’s submissive approach during the fourth Test is odd.

After sledging marred the first two Tests of this series and ball-tampering the third, Australia have played the game in a far friendlier manner under new captain Tim Paine, who got his team to shake hands with the Proteas before the match at the Wanderers began on Friday.

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‘It’s odd,’ said Elgar when asked about Australia’s new approach. ‘I’ve played quite a few Tests against Australia and it’s definitely been the most docile … I don’t think it’s going to last very long.

‘I think you need to have a tenacious approach in Test cricket,’ he added. ‘Nice guys come second. You’ve got to have an element of a proper fight. Sooner or later, if your bowlers are clocking massive overs and biting their tongues, they will unleash something.

‘There are a lot of frustrations over the course of five days. It’s only human nature for guys to say words to each other, but that’s fine as long as it’s not personal and just has a competitive edge.’

Elgar hinted that fiercer environments bring out the best in him.

‘It’s never nice being called nasty things on the field, but I don’t mind that,’ he said. ‘It gets me going, so I will use that to my advantage. We are playing Test cricket.’

The Proteas need seven wickets on Tuesday to win their first home Test series against Australia since readmission and first since 1970.

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