Snapshot for day 5 of the fourth Test

Australia’s controversy-plagued tour of South Africa ended on Tuesday with a chaotic collapse, when the hosts completed a historic 3-1 Test series win.

After setting a seemingly impossible target of 612, South Africa proceeded to bowl Australia out for 119, with Vernon Philander running through the batting in a spectacular spell on the fifth morning on his way to returns of 6/21.

South Africa will record their first home Test series win over Australia since the end of apartheid, having successfully batted the tourists out of the contest in Johannesburg. “There was probably some noise being made from the public in the previous year or so and the guys thought maybe while we kept winning and playing a certain brand of cricket, while it was working we wouldn’t change it. When we beat Australia the first time and (Jacques) Kallis was crying on the bus, you sort of realised what it meant”, he said.

Australia’s innings had started with what South Africa thought was a wicket – Matt Renshaw was given out caught-behind first ball off Rabada, but had the decision overturned on review.

The victory was secured with their biggest ever win by runs in Tests, a 492-run humiliation of a scandal-hit Australia at The Wanderers.

“We have got some young players in our team who will learn a lot from going to have a beer with some of the experienced players in the South Africans have got”.

New captain Tim Paine signalled a less verbally aggressive approach by the Australians, after taking over from Steve Smith in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal which prompted outgoing coach Darren Lehmann to acknowledge that the way Australia played cricket needed a culture change. From thereon, Australia could only delay the inevitable and they barely did that.

However, during Smith’s absence, Australia will also be searching for a good captain who can lead this side and take Australian cricket forward. Not one day did I not enjoy coming to the nets and warm-ups.

“If you are slightly off mentally in Test cricket you get exposed”, he began.

“We are losing a big player in Morne but I do feel there are guys who can step up”. “I enjoyed everything”, an emotional Morkel said in his final press conference.

It was a shame the final wicket was a run out, which denied Morkel a suitable ending to a fantastic Test career. In all, he took 15 wickets in three games and indeed managed to influence the series in a big way.

“It was very important to be on the field”.

“We were extremely motivated before this series and up for the challenge, but there was definitely a shift in mindset after that first test”, du Plessis said. I had that ease in my heart that [Dale] Steyn would do it and then the way Grant [Elliott] took the game away.