Proteas' Marco Jansen optimistic of Championship final chances

South Africa have already surrendered the three-match series against Australia with one match remaining in Sydney, which starts on Wednesday.

As a result, they now find themselves in fourth spot on the Championship standings, with their hopes of finishing in the top two hanging by a thread.

Jansen, however, is adamant they have more than just pride to play for in the third and final Test, as they look to build towards the upcoming inbound series against West Indies.

"Ja, definitely [there's something to play for]. I think we have three Test matches left [two against West Indies in February/March] until the final, so obviously we want to win all three to give ourselves the best chance possible to get into the final," Jansen told the media.

"So, it's not like we're going into this game just thinking, 'Ok, it's just another game, we can just cruise through it,' or whatever. There's still a goal, there's still a purpose going into this next Test."

If the Proteas are to sneak back into contention for the Championship final, beating the Aussies this week would go a long way in keeping that hope alive before having to beat the Windies and hoping Australia beat India in their upcoming four-match series.

With criticism rife over the South Africans' displays in recent Tests, Jansen defends there is no lack of quality in the team but merely a case of psychological drawbacks.

"We always have chats after the game, we sort of take a day to reflect individually and then come together as a team and speak about what we can improve on and all those kinds of things," he added.

"So mainly the chats were [that] everyone knows our skill levels, we have the skill – it's not a case of someone has to work on their outswinger or front foot going too far across, or whatever the case may be.

"It's just making that mental shift and taking a conscious decision to say that, 'Ok, I'm going to put my hand up here and do whatever it takes to influence the team in a good way or get my team over the line here.'"