Ponting first captained the Australia one-day team in 2002

Australia captain Ricky Ponting offered no excuses after the defeat to South Africa, which saw his team lose their number one ranking in one-day cricket.

"I thought we were competitive in the first three games but the last two have been well below par," said Ponting, whose team lost the Test series 2-1.

"We haven't played well enough to win, we made a lot of mistakes, whether it be with the bat, ball or in the field.

"The South Africans have totally outplayed us right the way through."

In contrast, South Africa skipper Johan Botha was delighted with the performance of his team as they secured a 4-1 series triumph.

"I thought the guys played really nicely during the series, everyone contributed," he enthused.

"I think the tight moments in the game went our way, which we are really happy about."

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to South Africa's number one ranking here

The team for the final match at the WACA featured two debutant left-arm seamers, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and 19-year-old Wayne Parnell, while Vaughn van Jaarsveld earned only his second ODI cap.

"The young players came in and put in some good performances and that's what you want to see.

"We had quite a young team but they put their hands up."

South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said the team would face new tests as the world's number one ranked side.

"Everybody will want to beat us now and we will have to prove that we are up for the challenge under all conditions," he said.

"We still have room for improvement but I have been hugely encouraged by the way this young squad has developed and we now have a lot of depth in all positions.

"The other challenge is to meet both our own expectations and those of our supporters back home. We will start as favourites in both the Test and ODI series against Australia and we have never been in this position before.

"But I am confident that the players will meet their country's expectations and build on what has been an incredible two months here in Australia."

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