4 Dec 2012

Proteas ruin Ponting farewell with emphatic win

6:34 am on 4 December 2012

South Africa cemented their position as the best team in world cricket with an emphatic 309-run victory over Australia in the third test to clinch the series 1-nil and ruin Ricky Ponting's farewell yesterday.

Ponting had been hoping to sign off in his 168th test with a victory that would have allowed Australia to leapfrog the Proteas and return to the summit of the game they dominated for so much of his career.

However they never got close to the winning target of 632 and were bowled out for 322 in their second innings at Perth.

The South Africans got the best possible start to the day with two early wickets which brought 37-year-old Ponting to the crease for his 287th and final test innings 45 minutes before lunch.

But the former Australian captain only muster eight runs before raising his arms and accepting the applause of the crowd.