Cricket: Ponting hails stars' return after series loss

PORT ELIZABETH - Australian captain Ricky Ponting has welcomed the return of some of his star players following the touring team's defeat in the one-day series in South Africa.

Australia trail 3-1 in the five-match series after the Proteas scored a commanding 61-run victory in Port Elizabeth on Monday.

Paceman Dale Steyn (4-44) and spinner Roelof van der Merwe (3-46) helped bowl Australia out for 256 chasing the home side's 6-317, which included 110 from Herschelle Gibbs.

Australia's top three all fired but Brad Haddin (78), Michael Clarke (50) and Ponting (53) were unable to push on to big scores like South African opener Gibbs, who won the man-of-the-match award.

The fifth and final ODI game is tomorrow at Wanderers Stadium.

South Africa's series victory means Graeme Smith's side now claim the ODI No 1 ranking.

Ponting can only lament that some of his best players have been unavailable, such as all-rounder Andrew Symonds, openers Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson and pace bowlers Stuart Clark, Brett Lee and Ben Hilfenhaus.

All six come into the squad for the ODI series against Pakistan which starts in Dubai on April 22.

Clark has joined the squad in Johannesburg and will be considered for selection for the last game, having been recalled as a replacement for injured Tasmanian quick Brett Geeves (fractured foot).

"We have sort of been stretched quite a bit in the last eight or 12 months with our bowling in both forms of the game, with Brett Lee and Stuie Clark not being around and Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle being rested from this [one-day] tour," Ponting said.

"It's good that we've got a couple of the more experienced guys coming back.

They'll bring a lot of class and a lot of experience back to our bowling group again."

Ponting conceded the home side had "outplayed us in every facet of the game" and thoroughly deserved the prized top ranking.

"They have got a very good team. They are at their absolute full strength at the moment," Ponting said.

"We've played this series here with about half of our regular team.

"There have been glimpses of some good stuff in the last two games that we've played. But glimpses of good cricket are not good enough to win against South Africa."

- AAP