Australia won the third and final test against the South Africa by 245 runs Newlands Wednesday in a nailbiting finish with only 27 balls to spare after a day of epic resistance of the house.
Ryan Harris bowled Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with the first and third balls of his 25th over as Australia won the match and the series two Tests to one. (Australia replace India in 2nd place in the ICC Test rankings )
Steyn and Vernon Philander (51 not ) met with 19.5 overs remaining and survived until Harris returns to the charge for a final burst .
Side Michael Clarke became the first team to win a series against South Africa for Australians Ricky Ponting won by the same margin in South Africa in 2008 /09.
South Africa retain their number one position in the official test rankings , but defeat could signal the end of an era forthcoming , with captain Graeme Smith resigned from international cricket.
Retired Smith announced after the play of the third day , following the retirement earlier in the season versatile star Jacques Kallis , while wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has long been forced to retire through injury in 2012 .
Australia , on the other hand, continued a resurgence under the leadership of Clarke and coach Darren Lehmann , following their 5-0 Ashes triumph against England earlier in the season.
When South Africa resumed on 71 for four, it seems unlikely that they will withdraw another great escape to go with a draw they won against Australia in Adelaide in 2011/12 and India Johannesburg earlier this season .
But a succession of stubborn partnerships took the match to last five overs .
AB de Villiers and nightwatchman Kyle Abbott challenged bowlers Australia for a little over an hour and a half during the game a long time before morning Abbott, who batted for 116 minutes and faced 89 balls scoring seven points, did not play a stroke at a ball from James Pattinson has reduced and clipped the top of his off stump.
- Home Key figures aside -
Hopes the home side seemed to rest De Villiers and Faf du Plessis, two of the main figures in which South Africa fought a draw from a similar position in Adelaide in November 2012 .
De Villiers , normally a batsman without scoring started innings after tea on the fourth day .
He was dismissed in the fifth on the second new ball when he edged to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin Harris . He batted for 326 minutes and faced 228 balls.
It was an effort reminds sleeves De Villiers in Adelaide where he fought for more than four hours and faced 220 balls in scoring 33.
On this occasion, Du Plessis , making his debut , saved the match with a marathon innings of 110 not .
Du Plessis was again resolved, but shortly before tea , he was leg before wicket to the first ball of a new period of part-time leg-spinner Steve Smith, who threw a ball on a good length on leg stump, turning slightly toward the middle, with du Plessis ignore the line.
Du Plessis called for a revision , but he confirmed that the arbitrator Kumar Dharmasena had made the right decision. Du Plessis batted for 157 minutes and faced 109 balls in making 47.
But the drama was not over as Philander defied the Australians for 155 minutes and 105 balls.
Australia were on practically since the beginning of the decisive test , with the introduction opening batsman David Warner set the tone with a quick century in the first innings he followed with another hundred in the second innings .
Australia took its first lead 207 innings, with Mitchell Johnson taking four wickets and Ryan Harris three, then shaken for five to 303 declared in their second innings to set South Africa a target of 511 nominal
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