Australia remain world's best after avoiding whitewash

Beaten but not bowed: Smith, the South Africa captain, played with an injured hand and although he could not save the final Test, he had already led his side to a series win

Australia salvaged a consolation win against South Africa after dismissing the tourists for 272 with only ten balls remaining on the fifth day to clinch a 103-run victory in the third Test at the SCG.

South Africa entered the final day needing a further 314 runs to pull off an improbable win, and a series clean sweep, having progressed to 62 for one at stumps on day four. But any hope of an unlikely victory disappeared when the tourists lost Neil McKenzie, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla in the opening session.

Australia removed JP Duminy, Mark Boucher and AB de Villiers in the middle session to take control of proceedings to leave South Africa on 193 for seven at tea. Paul Harris went lbw to Peter Siddle in the sixth over after the resumption to leave the South Africans 202 for eight but Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini held out for over 17 overs, adding another 50 runs before Steyn was removed lbw by Andrew McDonald.

Graeme Smith had not played since retiring hurt with a broken finger and troublesome left elbow in the South African first innings but the skipper returned to courageously bat out the remaining overs with Ntini. But with only ten balls to spare, he was bowled by Mitchell Johnson for three.

Siddle was the pick of the Australian bowlers, taking three wickets for 54, while McDonald returned figures of two for 32.

South Africa had already clinched the three-match series after winning the first two Tests in Perth and Melbourne but Australia's victory meant that they retained their position at the top of the ICC's official Test rankings.

South African pair top the charts

Year to remember ... Graeme Smith hits out against Australia

South African stars Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn will soon focus on overtaking Australia as the world's No.1 Test cricket side, but they can also reflect on 2008 as a stand-out year individually.

The Proteas can attribute much of their success this year - 11 wins, two draws and two losses from 15 Tests, and series wins in England and Australia - to Smith's magnificent batting and Steyn's brilliant fast bowling.

On top of his improved captaincy, Smith scored 1,656 runs at an average of 72, and his tally was the third-highest in a calendar year in the game's history, only behind the 1,788 runs Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf amassed in 2006 and the 1,710 the West Indies' Viv Richards tallied in 1976.

Smith's year included six centuries and scores of 48, 108, 62 and 75 in the first two Tests against Australia, a country he had previously struggled against, with only one half-century from eight matches before this series.

Steyn was the man of the match in the second Test at the MCG for his bowling and batting heroics, and his 10-wicket haul gave him 74 scalps for the year, at an average of 20.01 runs apiece.

That figure represents almost half of the paceman's career total - he made his Test debut in 2004 - and he took five five-wicket hauls for the year, in just 13 matches.

Steyn's year-best figure was the equal ninth-highest in history.

South Africa's batting strength was underlined by the presence of Hashim Amla (4th, 1,161 runs), Neil McKenzie (7th, 1,071) and AB de Villiers (10th, 1,061) in the top 10 leading run-scorers.

Captain Ricky Ponting was again Australia's highest run-scorer, with the year's third highest tally of 1,182 at 47.28, a figure inflated by his double of 101 and 99 at the MCG.

This year was the fifth time Ponting had scored more than 1,000 runs in a calendar year.

Michael Clarke, with 1,063 runs in equal-eighth spot, was the only other Australian batsman to register in the top 10.

Left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson was Australia's leading wicket-taker, and second overall, with 63 scalps at 29.01.

Leading run-scorers and wicket-takers in Test cricket in 2008.

MOST RUNS

1,656 - Graeme Smith (RSA) 15 matches, average 72.00
1,462 - Virender Sehwag (Ind) 14 matches, average 56.23
1,182 - Ricky Ponting (Aust) 14 matches, average 47.28
1,162 - Hashim Amla (RSA) 15 matches, average 52.77
1,134 - Gautam Gambhir (Ind) 8 matches, average 70.87
1,086 - VVS Laxman (Ind) 15 matches, average 47.21
1,073 - Neil McKenzie (RSA) 14 matches, average 53.65
1,063 - Michael Clarke (Aust) 13 matches, average 50.61
1,063 - Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 13 matches, average 48.31
1,061 - AB de Villiers (RSA) 15 matches, average 58.94

MOST WICKETS

74 - Dale Steyn (RSA) 13 matches, average 20.01
63 - Mitchell Johnson (Aust) 14 matches, average 29.01
63 - Harbhajan Singh (Ind) 13 matches, average 31.53
57 - Brett Lee (Aust) 14 matches, average 33.05
54 - Daniel Vettori (NZ) 14 matches, average 26.12
54 - Makhaya Ntini (RSA) 15 matches, average 28.46
47 - Ryan Sidebottom (Eng) 8 matches, average 20.25
46 - Jimmy Anderson (Eng) 11 matches, average 29.84
43 - Morne Morkel (RSA) 13 matches, average 32.16
42 - Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) 6* matches, average 23.71
* currently playing a Test against Bangladesh