Australia salvage some pride

It seems funny to write the words "Australia salvage some pride" but things are changing in world cricket right now and Ricky Ponting's side lifted their flagging spirits by winning the final Test to avoid a whitewash. The South Africans, though, will be full of confidence having won the series as they prepare to welcome Australia to their shores next month.

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Australia's win in Sydney also meant that they stay top of the world rankings and though that will be a consolation, it's only a small one and they will perhaps be underdogs for the three-match return series that begins on February 26.

South Africa were hampered by the broken hand of Graeme Smith, their captain, who nevertheless came out to bat in order to try to save the match at the SCG and made 17 impressive runs.

The tourists also had the inevitable let down in terms of motivation having already wrapped up the series, so it was no surprise that their intensity was not quite at 100 percent.

Australia, on the other hand, will point to the number of new faces in their side in Sydney as a good sign for the future but there is still a lot of work to be done and it will be on their travels where the true strength, or lack of, will be revealed.

Their tour to South Africa will be tough, to say the least, and then they have little time to rest before travelling to England for what promises to be a bruising Ashes contest.

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.