Ponting's low, Starc's high

Stats highlights from South Africa's emphatic victory in Perth

03-Dec-2012

South Africa's 1-0 series win has helped them retain the top position in the ICC Test ratings. They have 123 points, while Australia have slipped to 114. Even if England win both the remaining Tests in India, they'll have 119. Here are the stats highlights from South Africa's resounding win.

The margin of victory in Perth - 309 runs - is eighth in the list of most comprehensive wins for South Africa, and most comprehensive defeats for Australia (in terms of runs). It's the second-largest margin of victory for South Africa against Australia, after their 323-run win in Port Elizabeth in 1970.

The 309-run margin was also the second most comprehensive defeat of Ricky Ponting's Test career (in terms of runs), next only to the 320-run loss to India in 2008. Of the 31 Test defeats in his career, four were by an innings and only three by a margin of more than 200 runs.

South Africa have become the first team to win successive Test series in Australia since West Indies won there in 1988-89 and then again in 1992-93. In 40 series that Australia have played at home since the 1988-89 series against West Indies (excluding one-off Tests), they've won 31, drawn four, and lost five - twice each to West Indies and South Africa, and once to England in 2010-11.

Not only did Ponting finish with one of the worst defeats of his career, his last series was also a personal low: he scored 32 runs at 6.40; the only series in which he had a poorer average was in India in 2001, when he scored 17 in five innings.

Australia's second innings was redeemed only by a spirited half-century from Mitchell Starc, their No. 10 batsman. His unbeaten 68 is the seventh-highest score by an Australian No.10 batsman, and the best since Geoff Lawson's 74 at Lord's in 1989. It's the highest by a No.10 batsman at the WACA. Starc's 68 not out is also the highest by any No.10 batsman against South Africa.

Starc is only the 14th Australian player to score at least a half-century and take eight or more wickets in a Test. The two previous such instances were by Mitchell Johnson.

Dale Steyn's match haul of 7 for 112 means he has taken 57 wickets in 11 Tests against Australia, his biggest haul against any team. Overall, he has 299 wickets in 60 Tests, and is in line to become the third-fastest to 300 Test wickets (in terms of Tests played).

Robin Peterson's match haul of 6 for 171 is only the ninth instance of a spinner taking six or more wickets in a Perth Test.

Mitchell Starc Robin Peterson Ricky Ponting Australia South Africa Australia vs South Africa South Africa tour of Australia

S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo. Follow him on Twitter