It was supposed to be so close – the heavyweight bout between the world's top two cricket teams. But in the end it became a rout. Australia slammed South Africa 3-0, all by convincing margins. It was 246 runs at Adelaide, nine wickets at Melbourne, and ten wickets at Sydney. You can't get much more clear-cut than that, especially if you're South African and haven't been whitewashed in a series for 70 years. So what were the differences between the sides? Here are ten for starters:

The openers
Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden were in the form of their lives. Their stands were 80, 8, 202, 7, 219 and 54* – 570 runs at 114, and 501 at 168 where it mattered, in the first innings. For South Africa Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs, a more seasoned pairing, put on 87, 12, 24, 24, 37 and 17 – 201 runs at less than 34. Not a disaster, but not a patch on the Aussies either. The word leaked out that the South Africans didn't like bowling at left-handers. Funny, that didn't seem to bother them when they were smashing the leftie-laden West Indies.

The build-up
Australia had a harder-than-expected three-Test series against New Zealand. They might even have lost – after two rain-affected draws New Zealand held the upper hand at Perth. The South Africans had only one four-day game in Australia (at Perth, where they weren't playing a Test) before chugging into Adelaide. They were underdone, the Aussies were chastened – and awake.

The tail
At Adelaide Australia were 248 for 6 – and 439 all out. At Sydney, they were 308 for 5, and 554 all out. The tail wagged when it mattered. South Africa's managed a couple of limp waves, both inspired by Shaun Pollock and both when the cause was all but lost. And Allan Donald's brainless biff at Sydney, just when Pollock was tucking in nicely, will join that World Cup semi-final non-run in his personal nightmare file.

The conversion rate
Australia's top seven batsmen passed 30 on 15 occasions, and converted seven of those to hundreds (Hayden three, Langer two, Martyn two). South Africa's top seven passed 30 16 times, but only once managed 100 – Kirsten's 153 at Sydney (after he had been badly dropped on 12). That's a bit tough on Kallis, run out for 99 at Melbourne. But it's still a significant statistical story.

The toss
The results suggest that it wouldn't have made much difference, but it didn't help South Africa that Pollock lost all three tosses. At Melbourne he'd have batted first anyway – it was a last-minute hunch by Steve Waugh to bowl – but South Africa would probably have done better if they'd batted first at Adelaide and Sydney.

The injuries
South Africa came off worse here. Allan Donald's foot injury would have kept him out of a lesser series, and Nantie Hayward was shaking up the Aussies occasionally before a foot injury of his own. Nicky Boje showed at Sydney that he might have been more incisive than his stand-in, Claude Henderson, if he'd been fit for the whole series. For Australia, Jason Gillespie was hardly missed: his second-Test replacement, Andy Bichel, did well on what is shaping up to be his annual Melbourne-Test walk-on role, and Stuart MacGill was always going to play at Sydney.

The fast bowlers
With Donald struggling, Pollock needed to be on top form. He wasn't. There was only one wicket at Adelaide, and he never threatened to run through Australia as a man with a Test average of 20 might have. Throughout he looked a yard short of his top pace. Nantie Hayward was raw and Makhaya Ntini unthreatening. Glenn McGrath was back to his niggling nagging best, Brett Lee was quick, and Gillespie and Bichel were solid. No contest.

The spinners
Even less of a contest. Henderson impressed at Adelaide then faded. Boje did well at Sydney (4 for 63) after not coming into the attack until Australia had 190 for 0. Mind you, he wasn't even in the country until the day before the match. For Australia Warne was mesmerising, even if he sent down more loose balls than at his absolute peak. And the contest and contrast between him and MacGill was almost more interesting than the match itself at Sydney.

The quotas
Mr Sonn's intervention at Sydney could have been better timed. It made Pollock, who had already told the world that Jacques Rudolph would be playing, look silly when Justin Ontong materialised instead. Changing the requirement from one non-white player to two in the middle of the most important series for years wasn't a great idea, Perce. Ironically Ontong played a promising, wristy knock in the second innings before getting the most debatable umpiring decision of a series that didn't have many …

The catching
I've saved the best till last. Australia's catching was out of this world. Boeta Dippenaar alone was dismissed by three of the finest catches anyone will ever take – two astonishing one-handed gully grabs by Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden, and a slick short-leg catch by Hayden. Dippenaar himself missed three easier chances, two at short leg off Steve Waugh during his Melbourne 90, and a square-leg sitter from Hayden at Sydney. Pollock put himself in the gully at Adelaide and promptly missed two fast-moving chances. It was a shock when the Australians dropped one. There was a kind of hush around the SCG when Mark Waugh grassed a sitter from Kirsten, on 12 of his eventual 153. But even that didn't redress the balance. Like the eventual result of the series, the catching war was a no-contest.

Steven Lynch is database director of Wisden.com.

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