South Africa won by 492 runs
PLAYER OF THE MATCH : Vernon Philander
Batter
Bowler
Harsha Bhogle: South Africa must be on top of the world. And deservedly so. A win over Australia is always special for them and this was destruction.
The families come down, kids crawling on the pitch .. junior AB, junior Faf, junior Morne. The cricket's been just as good - well great until Bancroft decided to open up his jockey and shove that sandpaper. From Bangladesh to India to Australia, it's been a summer for the ages. Everyone's nursing an injury at the end of it .. add our fingers to that list. On behalf of Vineet Anantharaman, Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Abhinand Raghavendran and our scorer Sulthan, ta ta!!
There goes Faf, he gets the silverware and obviously it's going to go to Morne first. Oh this is perhaps the only time that he's been sitting down in a picture. Dale Steyn has his selfie stick too as he gets into a corner. He's had it all day, perhaps grabbing some footage for an exclusive behind the scenes documentary. But South Africa will celebrate, it's history after all. They're getting into school textbooks.
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As the series and the summer winds up, here are a few stats from our very own, Deepu Narayanan:
Biggest wins in Test cricket (by runs):
675 Eng v Aus, Brisbane, 1928 - Bradman's debut Test
562 Aus v Eng, Oval, 1934
530 Aus v SA, MCG, 1911
492 SA v Aus, Joburg, 2018
491 Aus v Pak, Perth, 2004
South Africa's series wins vs Australia at home:
3-1 (5) in 1966/67
4-0 (4) in 1969/70
3-1 (4) in 2017/18
Winning 3-1 after being 0-1 down in a series
WI v Eng, 1950
Eng v SA, 1951
Eng v Aus, 1954/55
Aus v WI, 1968/69
Eng v Aus, 1981
Eng v WI, 2000
Eng v Ind, 2014
SA v Aus, 2017/18
Faf du Plessis is the first SA captain to win a series against Australia both home & away
Won 2-1 in Aus, 2016/17
Won 3-1 in SA, 2017/18
Captains beating Australia both home & away in the post war era
L Hutton
M Brearley
C Lloyd
V Richards
J Coney
A Strauss
F du Plessis
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Faf contd.. (2/2): Australia is a quality team, they've got a very good record here in South Africa. But after the first loss our guys were hurting and I've never seen them this hungry. The senior players had a discussion at the start of the series and the common point was that we were all very hungry to perform. A much deserved break coming up for most, (smiles) sorry some of the guys and they should look to make the most of it. We're definitely looking forward to the next time we get together as a Test team. Australia's bowling was fantastic, especially Pat Cummins, he bowled fantastically well and challenged us the whole time. Obviously they had a lot of off-field stuff to handle and that is why even yesterday we tried pushing them behind mentally as much as we could. We knew it would take a toll on them when they came out to bat and that's what happened today. Very happy to wrap it up early this morning and get some extra time to put our leg up.
Faf du Plessis | South Africa skipper (1/2): Morne's been a special player. There have been a lot of tributes for him over the last few days and they've been richly deserved. He's been our funny guy and we look up to him when the chips are down and the going is tough. Also the nicest guy you'll meet off the field. We'll miss him as a human being and surely the next guy coming in has big boots to fill. This series has been remarkable, four Test matches and 80 wickets shows our bowling has been on top. Five hundreds, a few nineties and that shows how good our batting has been too. As a team we've performed really well. You don't get a chance to play Australia and beat them 3-1 in a series. The boys have been extremely motivated after the first Test in Durban to turn it around. It has been a long summer, a tough summer and at the end of it I am a very proud captain standing here.
Morne Morkel, retirement token: The injury wasn't nice. I told the doctor to do whatever he can to do to get me back on the field. But Vern was outstanding today, the way he came out and landed the ball was just superb. Thank you so much, the last couple of weeks have been exceptional. I have had twelve years of support and tears. I can only be the man I am because of this fantastic culture and environment. A huge thank you to all the sponsors and to Supersport for all that they've done for me.
Kagiso Rabada | MoS: Yeah it's been a long summer, a lot of games and in the end it is reflecting in my energies. Not a lot of rest coming up, but hopefully I'll look to make the most of it. Australia is a great cricketing nation, it is never easy against them. We came back hard in PE and is nice to have taken it over the line against them. It is nice to open your mind and listen to others (Ottis Gibson). You can never stop learning, the game always finds ways of humbling you. Morne's had an outstanding career, a fitting finale too. We are going to celebrate his career and today is going to be all about him.
Vernon Philander | MoM: Wow, what can I say; an awesome way to finish off this Test match. It is pretty emotional for all of us given that it was Morne's last match. I was a little rusty to the crease to start off, I made sure I had good momentum and stayed stable in the crease. I found my rhythm from this end, and eventually it all came right. [200 Test wickets] It is special and is just a matter of taking as many as I can. We are going to miss Morne, the way he's carried himself off the field, his jokes in the dressing room and I want to wish him the best for all his future endeavours.
Tim Paine | Australia skipper: It has been a really challenging week. I can't doubt our effort, but we were slightly off against the best in the world and were caught wanting. We aren't going to win too many series without a Test match hundred; we've obviously lost two of the best players in the world, Bancroft was the highest run-getter in this series too, but that's giving some of the other guys an opportunity to stand up and cement their spots in the side. South Africa have completely outplayed us, despite what's happened over the last week, we can't hide from the fact that we've been short on skills. The long break now gives the guys a chance to get back home, gather their thoughts and come back fresh against Pakistan in the UAE.
AB de Villiers: We worked really hard for this moment. We were fantastic in Cape Town, this has been a great send-off for Morne, the crowd was great as well. I am enjoying my cricket, it has been an excellent summer personally for me. That innings in PE was special, the chips were down, they were running through the batting order, the tail hung around and I rate that as one of my best innings. The body has been great, thankfully, I didn't need to bowl. Thought I might have to chip in if the innings went around the 70th over, but it didn't happen. My body is feeling great and I am enjoying this phase of cricket.
Amla: Very sad (Morkel's final appearance). Before the start of this game, all of us wanted something special. Getting injured and still bowling epitomizes him (Morne). I'll miss him. It's surreal. This series has been dramatic on and off the field. Vernon - the surgeon - you are right. He's been that all through his career. Lands the ball in that area and makes us dance in the nets.
Morne Morkel: It's tough to put in words; emotional. It's been a great journey. The mission was to beat the Aussies in the home turf. To accomplish that feels great. Thank you Vernon Philander. He was on the money today morning. We are going to celebrate hard today. Funny how things work out. The main thing is to keep working hard. Today, I'm saying goodbye to special players. There was no way I was sitting in the changing room. I am just happy I got through a couple of overs and got to enjoy the atmosphere for the last time. A special bunch of players - my brothers. I will miss them a lot. It's been an unbelievable journey.
Bavuma: I have enjoyed my part. To be part of this team making history, it's wonderful. As a team, we have a lot of characters. I try to take something from each one. Definitely, it's one of the best bowling attacks. They compliment each other. He's (du Plessis) the pillar of the team. We are happy for him that he got the century. He's the real pillar of the team.
Dean Elgar: Feels very good. I've been at the receiving end against them in South Africa and it is great to get one over the line at home. It was a beauty (his catch). It was something that just happened, but it's nice to always contribute whether with the bat or in the field. The bowling of Vernon is right up there .. he got some 6/9 he's just special and it is always nice to be on the winning side. AB strengthens our batting line up quite a lot, he's a world beater, for one he doesn't play the game for his personal gain and I haven't seen anyone else who wants to win as much as he does.
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Until that fateful Saturday in Newlands, this Test series was peaking amidst all off-field controversies. That 'sandpaper gate' sapped the visitors of all their energies and it turned out to be pretty one-sided from there on. A new captain, a new set of openers and a debutant with the ball in Johannesburg, they lost the toss and at no stage looked competitive. Flat and uncertain at times, they were lifted by the sagacious Tim Paine and Pat Cummins, but there was only that much those two could do. There was a hundred for Markram, a near one for Temba Bavuma in the first innings, then the bowlers hunted as a pair, gaining a massive first innings lead of 267 runs. Deciding to bat once again, Faf du Plessis made the visitors toil hard and long, made a hundred for himself in the second essay, and when they finally came on to bat, the Australians needed 612. They thought they could draw, but in a span of 55 minutes on the fifth morning, Philander and his six-for demolished that tiny hope. At the outset 3-1 can be termed harsh on Australia, but after that manic Saturday in Cape Town, you couldn't envisage any better.
Morne Morkel got a guard of honour when the team went out to field. After around 104 minutes, he gets to lead his team off the park. Quite an emotional moment for Giraffe, playing in front of his family, his international career is done and he can be proud of the way it ended. South Africa grab the stumps and walk off, they are greeted by an emotional and spent looking Darren Lehmann.
Morne Morkel to Lyon, out Lyon Run Out!! 1 run completed. Appeal for a run-out. Lyon looked slow on the second run, has he made his ground? He's short, OUT is the call and South Africa have demolished Australia by 492 runs. That's Australia's second biggest loss in Tests (in terms of runs). Hugs all around for Morkel as South Africa celebrate a crushing 3-1 series win, their first against Australia (at home) since readmission in 1991-92. Coming to the ball, this was pitched up just outside off, Lyon leant forward and drove it through cover, he leisurely jogged for the first run and then decided he wanted a second. The return from Markram was quite accurate and de Kock does the rest, with the lunging batsman well short. Lyon run out (Markram/de Kock) 9(23) [4s-1]