AB de Villiers erased a lingering hoodoo for South Africa as they sealed their most satisfying win with a record-breaking chase of 4 for 414 that buried Australia. Since coming back into the international arena in the early 1990s, South Africa have had the most trouble with Australia and finally conquered them, with de Villiers fighting to 106 and Jacques Kallis and the debutant JP Duminy producing nerveless half-centuries.
In a thrilling and stomach-turning adventure in the top-of-the-table contest, South Africa registered the second-biggest successful pursuit in history and did it so comfortably that they could have got 500. Australia's only answer was Mitchell Johnson, who took a career-best 11 for 159, but the rest of the performance was as worrying as South Africa's was outstanding.
Graeme Smith, who set up the chase with 108, watched his team drop the hosts to 3 for 15 on the opening morning, but it was not ahead again until after lunch on the final day. It has been like a handicap sprint race, with the runners not coming together until the final ten metres. South Africa finished with more than their chests in front to capture an invaluable 1-0 lead in the three-match series, which resumes in Melbourne on Boxing Day.
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