Australia have been rewarded with an extra day off after rolling New Zealand inside the fourth day of the second Test in Adelaide to complete a 2-0 series sweep for the Trans-Tasman Trophy.
Man of the match Brad Haddin, man of the series Michael Clarke and leading wicket-taker Mitchell Johnson all have particular reason to be pleased with their efforts.
Captain Ricky Ponting feels his team is now headed in the right direction after slipping up badly on the tour of India.
Brett Lee was also singled out for praise after taking nine wickets in a Test for the first time in his career at Adelaide Oval.
"Right through India we were a fair way below our absolute best. We have taken a step closer here to being at our best," Ponting said.
"It's great to see Brett running back into some real rhythm and some good form, taking nine wickets here and his pace was probably higher in this game than it has been for a while.
"Hauritz did a good job for us here. We'll see how Jason Krejza pulls up over the next week for the Perth game."
The next item on the Australian agenda is the somewhat weightier matter of South Africa, the No.2 ranked team in the world.
The Proteas will be arriving earlier than scheduled due to the postponement of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in India, meaning they will get extra time to hone their games in Australian conditions.
"We know the South Africans are a well-balanced side. They have a really good fast-bowling attack and I think four or five of their batsmen are in the top 10 run-scorers for 2008," Ponting said.
"They are a good side and we are not kidding ourselves. We've got a long way to go yet if we want to stay the number one team in the world."
