KEY POINTS:
Australia have defeated South Africa by 103 runs in the third cricket test at the SCG on Wednesday.
Injured South African captain Graeme Smith bravely came out to bat at No 11 with a broken hand with 50 balls to play on the final day.
But he was
bowled for three by Mitchell Johnson with 10 balls to go before stumps.
South Africa won the series 2-1 but Australia's victory ensured the home side retained the world No 1 ranking.
Smith's heroic stand was made possible by a 50-run partnership between tailenders Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini who held out for more than an hour before debutant trapped Steyn in for 28.
Earlier, Peter Siddle took two wickets after lunch to bring victory within reach for Australia.
Hashim Amla (59) and AB De Villiers (56) scored half-centuries for the Proteas.
Jacques Kallis departure caught and bowled by Andrew McDonald and Mark Boucher's bizarre lbw dismissal were both decisions that could easily have gone the other way.
New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden had referred McDonald's low catch to TV umpire Rod Tucker of Australia who instructed Bowden to give Kallis his marching orders before lunch for four.
It was a massive blow to South Africa's hopes of claiming cricket's top ranking by sweeping the three-match series.
Debutant quick Doug Bollinger (2-45) had taken his first test wicket late on day four when he dismissed replacement opener Morne Morkel for a duck.
Regular opener Graeme Smith - test cricket's leading runscorer in 2008 - is unlikely to bat after suffering a fractured hand in South Africa's first innings.
Bollinger got the ball rolling for Australia on day five when acting skipper Neil McKenzie was caught at gully for 27 at 2-68.
Kallis fell with the score on 3-91 and six overs later off-spinner Nathan Hauritz finally took his first wicket of the match, removing anchorman Amla who caught at short leg by Simon Katich.
De Villiers and Jean-Paul Duminy added 56 before the left-hander was lbw to Mitchell Johnson for 16 at 5-166 after lunch.
Siddle (2-34) claimed his sixth wicket of the match when Boucher (4) missed a full toss and was adjudged lbw by Sri Lankan umpire Asoka De Silva, although the ball was clearly going down legside.
Siddle struck again 18 runs later when De Villiers chopped a ball onto his stumps at 7-190, six minutes before tea.
- AAP
