Kyle Abbott stars as South Africa thrash Australia in Hobart

The frustration was evident after the game when the usually mild-mannered Smith could not hide his exasperation with a team, he said, that was not willing to do the hard yards. We have been consistent in the way we perform.

“No one can tell me or guarantee that is actually the case because there are plenty of summers gone by where we’ve had a similar preparation to the season and done well”.

It was Australia’s fifth consecutive test defeat this year, having also lost all three tests in Sri Lanka in August. Vernon Philander takes 5-21 for South Africa. “We came across here with a lot of confidence”, du Plessis said.

32 – Runs for which Australia lost their last eight wickets in the second innings, their joint lowest collapse at home.

Since then, the Australians have been rebuilding but cracks have appeared recently, and South Africa had the right ingredients to exploit them. “We’ve done it a few times now but it’s not done yet”. Only two players – captain Michael Clarke, and fast bowler Mitchell Johnson – reach double figures, and Australia’s highest single scorer is extras, with 14. The second-wicket pair added 79 before Warner (45) somehow got a ball to ricochet off his hip and elbow and back onto the stumps.

Anyway, it’s super depressing and we’re being smashed to bits by cricket fans from around the world.

“They’ve got a full strength team; there’s no injuries”. “I didn’t expect it to happen that quickly”, du Plessis said.

“Our bowling was exceptional (on Monday)”. We are not today and we are not shying away from that issue.

“That won us the series and it was unbelievable”.

It was unbelievable because it was more dominant than a South African side has ever been in Australia.

The number five batsman was out for two, in two minds facing an Abbott delivery which he parried to the slips with an ugly, aborted pull-shot.

Abbott took 6-77 including the final wicket of Nathan Lyon, while Rabada grabbed 4-34.

“That’s a tough question. we haven’t been good enough, everything will be talked about”, Smith said, when asked if he should become a selector. “I know some will say you’ve got to give them more than one Test [but] I know some very good one-Test players”. By taking an unassailable 2-0 lead with a Test to go, the Proteas registered their third successive series win Down Under.

“We’ve got to stop the rot, we’ve got to work out what the best XI is.Guys playing in this Test match, some were disappointed in their performances and they get the chance to play the Shield games to put their hand up”, Lehmann was quoted as saying by Sport24.

“We’ve got to find a way to be a bit more resilient and spend some time out in the middle”, said Australia captain Steve Smith, who was out nicking behind for 31.