Shane Watson - 7: His body let him down just as he was looking impressive with the ball on day one. Batted well for his 88, but once again failed to get to three figures - it was the 18th time he has passed 50 in Test cricket, but has only gone on to reach 100 twice. His future lies down the order.
Phil Hughes - 7: Batted entertainingly during his big partnership with Watson on day two and deserved a hundred. Will now get the opportunity to plunder some runs off New Zealand's weak attack.
Usman Khawaja - 7: The replacement for the injured Marsh showed once again that he has the technique and temperament for Test cricket even if his failure to pick Tahir's googly led to his downfall after his crucial 65.
Ricky Ponting - 6: Things looked bleak after his 1st innings duck, but if nothing Ponting is a fighter and responded to his predicament by displaying better footwork and a straighter bat than he has for a long time. It was a shame he couldn't go on to make a hundred but this knock and injuries should keep him in the XI for the New Zealand series at least.
Michael Clarke - 4: After his wonderful hundred at Newlands, the skipper failed in both innings here, but he won't mind given the manner of his side's stunning victory and the way they bounced back from that humiliating 47 all out. Is starting to look like a decent leader.
Mike Hussey - 5: A quiet series after scoring heavily in Sri Lanka recently. Got starts in both innings, but was unable to go on and has a tendancy to get stuck in his crease.
Brad Haddin - 6: Picked an opportune time to score his first fifty of the year as he and Johnson compiled the partnership that won the game. Will need to kick on if he is to see off the challenge of Tim Paine and Matthew Wade.
Mitchell Johnson - 5: Another stop-start performance, but looked good in the morning session on day four where he found some movement and batted intelligently (not a word you'd usually associate with him) to see his side over the winning line. May get a couple more opportunities in the last chance saloon.
Peter Siddle - 5: Helped put the brakes on South Africa's 1st innings with the wickets of Kallis, De Villiers and Boucher, but whilst his heart can not be questioned doubts still remain over how good a Test bowler he actually is.
Patrick Cummins - 9: Does it get any better than this? The 18 year old debutant's first Test wicket was Amla, then he led the attack magnificently to take a six wicket haul in the 2nd innings, hit the winning runs and was given the man of the match award. The future's bright, the future's Cummins.
Nathan Lyon - 6: He's no Warne, but he did bowl tidily throughout to pick up four wickets and continue to give the impression that Andrew Hilditch's last punt as head of the Australian selectors may well have been a decent one.
Where next?
2nd Test: South Africa v Australia - South Africa marks out of 10
1st Test: South Africa v Australia - South Africa marks out of 10
1st Test: South Africa v Australia - Australia marks out of 10
Dale Steyn's formidable statistics
What Jacques Kallis had for breakfast this morning
Has Ricky Ponting lost his punch?
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Think I might give Michael Clarke 5. He had the better of Smith as captain - and that is a vital consideration in a match as tight as this one. He adapted to the loss of Watson from the attack and managed Cummins very well indeed. Clearly, he had given the green light to natural strokemakers Johnson & Haddin at tea-time on Day 5 as they seized the intiative taking the possibility of coming off in failing light out of the equation. In fact, now I think about it, 5.5 might be more accurate!
Posted by: Ian | Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 20:50
Fair point Ian, Clarke does seem to be shaping up as a decent captain. Since the Ashes, Australia have won a series in Sri Lanka and drawn in SA (if you can call a two test series a 'series'). They've appointed a decent coach, have John Inverarity at the helm and have uncovered a real gem in Pat Cummins. Crisis? What crisis?
Posted by: The Reverse Sweep | Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 11:35