Graeme Smith
3 matches, 5 inns, 129 runs @ 25.80, 1x50
Smith was afforded a quiet series with the bat thanks to de Villiers and Amla's dominance and the shortfalls of the opposition attack. Captaincy-wise, he surpassed Ricky Ponting's record of 48 wins - and then made it a round 50 in Centurion. The first skipper to 100 Test matches, too, he remains unrivalled on more than a statistical front. C365 Rating: 6.5/10

Hashim Amla
3 matches, 5 inns, 286 runs @ 71.50, 3x50s
What Amla promised in Johannesburg he failed to fulfill in Cape Town, but saved his best for last in Cape Town. His harshest critic, Amla will be the first to admit at least one of his three half-centuries should have been converted to greater proportions, though. Regardless, currently the planet's top-ranked Test batsman - and rightly so. C365 Rating: 8/10

Robin Peterson
3 matches, 6 wkts @ 38.16, BB: 3/73, 4 inns, 113 runs @ 47.66, 1x50
A home series understandably dominated by the world's best attack still required Peterson for the occasional holding or attacking role. He characteristically obliged, and particularly enjoyed the Newlands conditions. That cavalier 84, too, reminded all and sundry of his all-round abilities. C365 Rating: 8/10

Vernon Philander
3 matches, 15 wkts @ 15.80, BB: 5/59, 3 inns, 97 runs @ 32.33, 1x50
South Africa were truly tested only once in three matches, and ever the man for the big occasion, Philander promptly stepped up to orchestrate a fat Pakistani collapse on the fourth morning of the Cape Town Test. Like Peterson, he too answered doubters about his prowess with the bat. C365 Rating: 8.5/10

Faf du Plessis
3 matches, 4 inns, 113 runs @ 28.50
His tour de force in Australia remains fresh in the memory, while success against New Zealand weighed in as a tidy followup. Pakistan, though, levelled out an otherwise steep rise to prominence for du Plessis. Full-time appointment to the T20I leadership, however, points to a potentially bigger leadership role for the 28-year-old soon enough. C365 Rating: 6/10

Dean Elgar
3 matches, 4 inns, 68 runs @ 22.66
With JP Duminy still sidelined by injury and a pair on debut at least resigned to the past, questions will ultimately be asked of Elgar as a specialist number seven. Opportunity wasn't bountiful this month, but when it did knock, the diminutive left-hander didn't answer strongly. C365 Rating: 5/10

Alviro Petersen
3 matches, 5 inns, 75 runs @ 15.00
Reasonably prolific on Twitter, with promise of sunshine and success, Peterson failed to match his words on the field. As was the case with Smith, his lack of runs didn't negatively affect the Proteas - thanks to the middle order's solidity. Failing that, bigger questions begged for the out-of-sorts opener. C365 Rating: 4/10

Morne Morkel
2 matches, 4 wkts @ 41.75, BB: 2/59
Morkel wasn't his typically threatening self, instead off colour - and ultimately sidelined by a hamstring injury. His exit, though, allowed Kleinveldt another crack - and the fellow right-armer hardly disappointed. C365 Rating: 5/10

Dale Steyn
3 matches, 20 wkts @ 12.90, BB: 6/8
Unbelievably prolific in the series opener, Steyn set a precedent that never relented - and an average of almost seven wickets per match soon took him past former fast bowler and current bowling coach Allan Donald's tally of 330 Test wickets. Next stop, eventually: Makhaya Ntini's 390. C365 Rating: 9/10

Kyle Abbott
1 match, 9 wkts @ 7.55, BB: 7/29
Tried, tested and very successful in first-class competition, Abbott clinched due reward. A call-up to the squad as cover for the injured Morkel soon turned into a berth in the playing XI in the wake of Kallis' strained calf, and the rest slipped seamlessly through three days of whirlwind heights for the young Dolphins recruit. Romping to debut figures of Marchant de Lange-esque proportions, Abbott surely sidestepped Kleinveldt as the country's first-choice backup seamer. C365 Rating: 9.5/10

Jacques Kallis
2 matches, 4 inns, 80 runs @ 20.00, 1x50, 3 wkts @ 35.33, BB: 2/11
So uneventful with the bat that he decided to attend an optional practice shortly before the third Test, something which he never does, Kallis only succeeded in damaging his 36-year-old calf muscle. His exit came as somewhat of a blessing in disguise, though, as a gem in Abbott was unearthed. C365 Rating: 5/10

AB de Villiers
3 matches, 5 inns, 352 runs @ 88.00, 2x100s, 17xct
Player of the Series thanks to a couple of centuries and other telling contributions, yet again there is no doubting de Villiers' dual role as wicketkeeper and batsman. He has done the right thing by quitting the T20I captaincy, too. C365 Rating: 9/10

Rory Kleinveldt
1 match, 2 wkts @ 41.00, BB: 2/33
Kleinvedlt's latest showing, a decent one at that, came at the end of the season - and come 2013-14, specifically the visit to Abu Dhabi, he will probably find himself lower than Abbott, Chris Morris and the burgeoning ilk in the pecking order. C365 Rating: 5/10

Jonhenry Wilson