Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who made two costly blunders in the drawn Second Test against South Africa, will only improve, his captain Michael Clarke says.

Wade missed a routine stumping which would have dismissed Proteas captain Graeme Smith for 46 in the visitors' first innings, the skipper ultimately making 122.

And 24-year-old Wade turfed a catch from the bat of Faf du Plessis before tea on Monday's final day when the right-hander was on 96.

Du Plessis was still there, more than two hours later at stumps, unbeaten on 110.

"Wadey is a strong man, he's a tough character that's for sure," Clarke told reporters.

"So like all of us, there will be parts of our games we think we could have improved that will help the team to have more success.

"But I think he's old enough and wise enough to know how this game works.

"There's highs and lows ... he'll get better, he's still a youngster."