Australian captain Ricky Ponting says it is only fitting Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz carried Australia to a tense two-wicket victory over South Africa in the third Test in Johannesburg.

The pair added 19 runs to get Australia over the line at 8-294, chasing 292 to win.

It gave Ponting's side a 3-0 series victory after claiming a 2-0 win in the December-January series in Australia.

Test comeback kid Damien Martyn, at the tender age of 34, made a brilliant 101 in almost five hours but was out at 7-258 as Australia lost two wickets on Tuesday morning before the steadying partnership of the two fast bowlers.

Lee and Kasprowicz had shared a gripping 59-run stand for the last wicket in Edgbaston in the second Test of last year's Ashes series with Kasprowicz getting out for 20 as Australia lost by two runs.

"It was a bit of justice I think from what happened back in England," Ponting said.

"That's great for them.

"I know how much they hurt, those guys that day. We sat down after the game and we all said to them how proud we were of what they'd done in England, even though we didn't get across the line.

"It was exactly the same in reverse today. They were unbelievably difficult conditions to bat in out there.

"Damien had just got a hundred and was still struggling to lay bat on ball after having batted for five hours.

"For the tailenders to be able to do the job they did was fantastic.

"We've certainly dominated the first two Test matches and held our own in this one, with a batsman down and a bowler down (Langer and Kasprowicz) for the majority of the game."

Lee finished unbeaten on 24, hitting Shaun Pollock through cover for the winning boundary at 11.14am on the fifth day with Kasprowicz seven not out despite a back injury which prevented him from bowling more than two overs in South Africa's second innings.

Lee took 3-57 in each innings and made his highest Test score of 64 in Australia's first dig.

Seamer Stuart Clark, promoted to new-ball bowler over Kasprowicz halfway through the second Test, was named man of the series in his debut series, taking 20 wickets.

"Glenn McGrath six years younger, that's exactly what he's done for us," Ponting said.

"His bowling through the series has been of the highest quality. "Sure there have been conditions that have suited the seamers ... but he has just done it and he's stood up.

"Both him and Brett in the last couple of Test matches have been asked to do a lot of bowling and they have done it and never shirked the issue once."

In dramatic scenes in the Australian change rooms, a concussed Justin Langer had told the team he was unable to bat on medical advice, but decided with 10 runs still to get he would pad up anyway.

Ponting said Langer would only have been sent out if he could stand at the non-striker's end.

"Medically over the last couple of days, his situation hasn't changed," Ponting said.

"It was going to take me and probably a few other blokes to keep him in the dressing room if it had got down to that, to tell the truth I don't know what I would have done."

Ponting said he was confident his side was heading in the right direction to win back the Ashes next summer and paid tribute to Martyn's 101.

Martyn capped a successful comeback after being dumped following last year's Ashes series defeat.

"Everything is heading in the right direction as far as I'm concerned and the team is concerned," Ponting said.

"It was great to see Damien play the way he did. That was just an absolute class innings in those conditions.

"It was probably his best-ever Test innings."

Makhaya Ntini finished with 4-78 for match figures of 10-178 after taking 6-100 in Australia's first innings.

Set 292 for victory, Australia resumed on Tuesday morning on 6-248 with 44 runs still required.

Martyn, who had been 93 not out, reached his 13th Test century 24 balls into the day's play, leaping and punching the air with delight.

But he fell in the same over to Pollock.

Clark hit two boundaries in his 10 before he miscued a pull shot off Ntini and was out at 8-275.

The Australian team departs Johannesburg on Wednesday for Sunday's first Test against Bangladesh.

Cricket Australia is expected to announce on Wednesday if Kasprowicz and Langer have been passed fit to make the tour.

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