Australia vs South Africa Tests 2014: Australia Win 2-1 — Warner 543 Runs (3 Centuries), Johnson 12 Wickets in 1st Test, Graeme Smith's Farewell 117th Test, Harris 100th Wicket

Australia won the three-match Test series against South Africa in February-March 2014 by 2-1, rising to No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings. David Warner was Player of the Series with 543 runs. 1st Test SuperSport Park, Centurion (Feb 12-15): Australia won by 281 runs — AUS 397 (Marsh 148, Smith 100) & 290/4d (Warner 115); SA 206 & 200. Johnson took 7/68 in SA's 1st innings and 5/59 in their 2nd innings — 12 wickets in the match. Player of the Match: Johnson. 2nd Test St George's Park, Port Elizabeth (Feb 20-23): South Africa won by 231 runs — SA 423 (de Villiers 116, Duminy 123) & 270/5d (Amla 127*); AUS 246 (Warner 70) & 216 (Rogers 107). Amla was dismissed for a duck in SA's 1st innings then anchored their declaration innings with 127*. Lyon took 5/130 in SA's 1st innings. Steyn took 4/55. Player of the Match: JP Duminy. 3rd Test Newlands, Cape Town (Mar 1-5): Australia won by 245 runs — AUS 494/7d (Clarke 161*, Warner 135) & 303/5d (Warner 145); SA 287 & 265. Ryan Harris took 4/32 in SA's 2nd innings — reaching his 100th Test wicket during the match. Warner's twin centuries (135 + 145) made him only the second Australian to score twin hundreds in a Test in South Africa. Player of the Match: Warner. Player of the Series: Warner — 543 runs (three centuries). Graeme Smith played his 117th and final Test at Cape Town — the same ground where he had made his Test debut. He announced his retirement at the end of day 3. Michael Clarke captained Australia; Graeme Smith captained South Africa.

Johnson's 12 Wickets at Centurion: 7/68 and 5/59 in a 281-Run Win

Mitchell Johnson's 12-wicket match haul at Centurion — 7/68 in South Africa's 1st innings of 206 and 5/59 in their 2nd innings of 200 — was one of the great fast-bowling performances in South Africa, just months after his Ashes-series dominance in Australia. SA's two innings collapsed against pace bowling that swung late and skidded on, with de Villiers (91 and 48, twice caught off Johnson) offering the most resistance but unable to prevent Australia's 281-run win. Shaun Marsh's 148 and Smith's 100 gave Australia 397 in their 1st innings — more than enough. Warner's 2nd-innings 115 allowed Clarke to declare at 290/4. The 1st Test win confirmed that Australia's Ashes-era bowling attack remained world-class in South Africa's demanding conditions.

Warner 543 Runs: Three Centuries Including Twin Hundreds at Cape Town

David Warner's 543-run Player of the Series performance — across six innings at an average of 90.50 — was built around three centuries that came at decisive moments. His 115 at Centurion (2nd innings, consolidating the win), 135 at Cape Town (1st innings, building Australia's 494/7d), and 145 at Cape Town (2nd innings, setting up a declaration target) gave Australia momentum in the two matches they won. His twin centuries at Newlands made him only the second Australian to score twin hundreds in a single Test in South Africa. Warner's 70 and 66 at Port Elizabeth in Australia's series loss were also significant contributions — his only match without a century still saw him score 136 runs across two innings.

Graeme Smith's Final Test: 117 Tests as SA Captain, Ending at Cape Town

Graeme Smith's retirement announcement on day 3 of the Cape Town Test — his 117th and final Test — ended a 12-year captaincy that had set a world record of 109 Tests as Test captain, surpassing Steve Waugh. His career began at Cape Town's Newlands in 2002 against Australia; it ended at the same ground, also against Australia, in 2014. Smith's final series figures were modest (45 runs across 6 innings at age 33, dealing with physical decline), but his wider career legacy was immense: 9,265 Test runs and the captaincy record that still stands. Australia's 2-1 series win pushed them to No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings — the same position England had held when South Africa had displaced them in 2012. The Cape Town decider also saw Clarke score 161* in Australia's declaration innings of 494/7, completing a series where Australia's batting — Clarke, Warner, Marsh, Smith — had matched their bowling.