perfect tour began with a Test win in Perth and fittingly it finished with a one-day triumph at the same venue as Australia conceded the No. 1 ranking to Johan Botha's men. J.P. Duminy, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, all of whom contributed to the Test successes, finished the trip strongly and the debutant Lonwabo Tsotsobe picked up four wickets to give the tourists one more happy story to recount on the flight home. When South Africa arrived in Australia in December, they fancied their chances in the Tests but felt they still had a lot of improving to do in the shorter format. They wrapped it up 4-1. South Africa had waited all series for the chance to bat first and when they did, they set the largest target of the five games thanks to Amla, de Villiers and Duminy. Australia knew that chasing 289 was going to be tough and when they stumbled to 53-4, Ricky Ponting might have been ready to update his assessment that Monday's loss in Adelaide was their worst performance of the summer. But in a reverse of Australia's trend throughout the series, the middle and lower orders outshone their colleagues at the top. Michael Hussey's 78 gave them the subtlest of sniffs and David Hussey and Brad Haddin made handy contributions but, like an Australian Tour de France cyclist, the uphill effort was simply too arduous. Their requirement of 164 from 20 overs became 100 from 10 and, regardless of how clean Haddin could strike the ball, it was all too much. Should South Africa win the Test series that begins in Johannesburg on Feb. 26, they will be the world's No. 1-ranked one-day and Test teams. The positives for Australia in the lead-up to that series are few. All they can take comfort in is that they will enter the contest as the underdogs, with modest expectations. South Africa is officially now the team to beat. South Africa 288-6 (Amla 97, Duminy 60*, de Villiers 60, Hopes 3-44) beat Australia 249 (M Hussey 78, Haddin 63, Tsotsobe 4-50) by 39 runs WI punishes England England's preparations for the opening Test against West Indies next week were spoiled on Thursday, when Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath plundered hundreds for West Indies-A on the opening day of their tour match. England's bowlers toiled for little reward, as Simmons scored an undefeated 171 and teenaged opener Barath made 131 to lead the A-Team to 343 for two when bad light stopped play four overs early. England was left with more questions than answers about its attack, as Simmons and 18-year-old compatriot Barath took advantage of a docile Warner Park pitch. Simmons, who has played eight ODIs, has repeatedly been overlooked by the West Indies selectors, and the uncapped Barath is an exciting prospect highly regarded by former West Indies batting superstar Brian Lara. England's bowlers felt the full weight of their bats when the pair from Trinidad and Tobago put on 262 for the second wicket stand. Scores: West Indies-A 343 for two (Lendl Simmons 171 not out, Adrian Barath 132, Sewnarine Chattergoon 24 not out) vs England.
