Australia vs. South Africa: Winners and Losers from ODI Series
Having already secured the series with victory in Melbourne, Australia wrapped up a comprehensive 4-1 triumph in their five-game one-day international campaign against South Africa with a narrow two-wicket victory in Sunday's finale in Sydney.
At one point on track to cruise to the target set by the visitors, Australia overcame a late collapse to notch a third straight win and their sixth in all eight limited-overs contests against the South Africans on this tour.
In doing so, Australia reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the ICC ODI Rankings from India and gave an ominous warning to their soon-to-be World Cup rivals.
Across the following slides, we examine the winners and losers from the now-concluded one-day series.
Winner: AB De Villiers
1 of 8
AB de Villiers scores in this series read: 80, 48, 52 and 91.
So when the final match of the series arrived in Sydney with the whereabouts of the trophy already decided, it wasn't surprising to see the astonishing South African given a rest.
Quite simply, he'd done enough heavy lifting.
Comfortably the world's finest batsmen—in fact, it's not even remotely close—De Villiers again displayed his extraordinary abilities, carrying a stuttering outfit on his own to be the standout player of the series.
Loser: Michael Clarke
2 of 8
Even prior to this series with South Africa, one had already sensed Australia captain Michael Clarke was approaching the end of his limited-overs career.
The World Cup, it seemed, was going to be Clarke's goodbye to the white-ball game.
And after suffering a hamstring injury in the series opener in Perth—a setback that hardly stands on its own for the captain this year—that perception is only growing stronger.
Now, the notoriously strong-willed Clarke has become involved in an apparent dispute with Cricket Australia ahead of his team's first Test with India in Brisbane, with the player and board at odds over the necessary preparations for the captain's involvement, per Fox Sports.
For Clarke, the latest saga continues a rocky couple of months that have included public friction with coach Darren Lehmann and an embarrassing thrashing at the hands of Pakistan in the UAE.
Winner: Steve Smith
3 of 8
It wouldn't be amiss to say that there were plenty of eyebrows raised when Steve Smith was dropped from the Australian middle order for the opening clash of this series in Perth.
A rapidly rising batsman in 2014, the 25-year-old stands as a player of contrast for Australia, possessing a blend of composure and ingenuity that separates him from his more muscular team-mates.
But perhaps the team's selectors saw Smith as too similar to Michael Clarke, believing the captain is the player of greater finesse who Australia's power hitters can build around.
Now, however, Smith has guaranteed his place in the team for the foreseeable future, shining in Clarke's absence with scores of 73, 104 and 67 in the final three games of this series to deliver an emphatic triumph for the hosts.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Loser: Glenn Maxwell
4 of 8
It's been a tough month for Glenn Maxwell.
Widely derided for his Test performance against Pakistan in the UAE, the dashing right-hander would have welcomed the return of the limited-overs formats to which he is currently far more suited.
But there appears to have been a carry-over effect from that difficult time in Abu Dhabi, with Maxwell limping to just 38 runs from four innings in the one-day series against South Africa to mark his worst stretch of the year.
Also dropped from the Test squad to face India, the 26-year-old now has a fight on his hands to maintain his place in Australia's 50-over side ahead of the World Cup.
Winner: Aaron Finch
5 of 8
Some observers still view Aaron Finch as little more than a white-ball slogger. For a player who's built a career on limited-overs hitting, it's a perception that isn't hard to understand.
But Finch stands as a major winner from this series with South Africa, simply for the fact that his performances served as the latest evidence that the Australian's game has more to it than just force.
Indeed, the opener demonstrated that his questioned technique can stand up to the world's finest bowlers, compiling 250 runs in five knocks against the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander.
Alongside David Warner, Finch is quickly establishing Australia's opening pair as one of the most dominant in the game.
Loser: South Africa's World Cup Preparations
6 of 8
For South Africa, this clash with Australia was supposed to represent a final tune-up ahead of what is expected to be a deep World Cup run for the Proteas.
On Australian soil, against the tournament favourites, it was South Africa's chance to prove their credentials to not only their rivals, but also, most importantly, themselves.
Instead, AB de Villiers' men find themselves back at the drawing board after completing a series riddled with fundamental errors. Never mind the finishing touches, South Africa need to rediscover the basics.
Normally excellent in the field, the visitors fielded at times like a bad Pakistani side.
With the bat, the captain didn't have enough help.
And with the ball, trump cards Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn were expensive.
South Africa need to work it out. Quickly.
Winner: George Bailey's Leadership Credentials
7 of 8
Aside from a fast 70 in the series opener, George Bailey didn't enjoy a great time with the bat in these 50-over clashes with South Africa.
Unlike Aaron Finch and Steve Smith, Bailey couldn't turn starts into meaningful totals when recording four straight scores of 25, 12, 16 and four to finish the series.
And yet, the Tasmanian still emerged from the campaign as a winner.
Indeed, replacing the injured Michael Clarke as captain, Bailey led the home side to a commanding victory with his calm, no-nonsense and get-on-with-it approach that's been observed several times now, most notably in his leadership of Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League.
Should Michael Clarke, as many expect, step away from the one-day side after the World Cup, Bailey's captaincy in this series has him well-placed to take the position permanently.
Loser: Cricket Australia and the Venues
8 of 8
In the wake of a 4-1 series triumph, it's natural to think that Australia's dominance would be the major talking point to come out of this series, particularly with a World Cup on these shores on the horizon.
But it's not. Not at all.
Instead, the discussion surrounding this series has centred on one question: Where was everyone?
Lamentably, the picture above was not an uncommon sight as Australia tackled South Africa in Perth, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. Crowds were low, public enthusiasm was scarce and the general lack of awareness for the series was alarming.
Indeed, Cricket Australia and the grounds which hosted the five matches discovered that capturing the attention of the Australian public in November is extremely difficult.
Whether fans were distracted by spring racing, put off by ticket prices, uninterested at this early stage due to a back-ended summer or simply not ready for cricket to begin, the Australian board will hope that similarly poor crowds don't repeat themselves in months that should be golden for Cricket Australia.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
