Greatest Test series' of the modern era
With five of the six matches decided on the last day, 14 centuries scored, five five-fors taken by the bowlers, and a great well of memories created by the two teams, the back-to-back Test series between Australia and South Africa made for two of

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Australia found out that they didn't need so many old hands to remain successful, that in fact their domestic cricket was strong, certainly with regards batsmen and fast bowlers, and that they will continue to be close to, if not at, the top of the Test tree for the foreseeable future ... South Africa will know that to dominate the way Australia did for a decade is not easy. After winning in Australia, it was felt that with a side with so many young players in so many important positions - Hashim Amla at three, JP Duminy and AB de Villiers in the middle order, and Dale Steyn and Morné Morkel as fast bowlers, they could start to define their own era of dominance.
Australia are indeed a new, young side, but it’s clear the depth of talent in Australian cricket is enormous. A couple of injuries and defeats left South Africa scrambling for ideas. Australia, on the other hand, turned to a seemingly bottomless pool of talented cricketers and within weeks turned their fortunes around. In a flash one had the feeling that some of the new boys — Philip Hughs and Marcus North foremost among them — will be playing Test cricket for some time.
Nishi Narayanan is a staff writer at ESPNcricinfo