South Africa's fast and faultless pace pack

The idea of a South African pace pack should conjure up images of fire and fury, speed and snarling, aggression and attitude. It's vinnige (fast) Fanie, angry Allan Donald, dramatic Dale Steyn. There's not much room for boring, even less for subtle, except now.

In Hobart, South Africa showed not just their skills but also the consistency with which they can execute that talent. They have mastered the margins and operate within them with such accuracy that they've taken 10 wickets for under 100 runs seven times in the last five years. That's more than any other team. In this series, they've already done it twice.

Their three-pronged pace pack, even without Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, can apply consistent pressure. "They bowl on a ten cent piece," Steven Smith, Australia's embattled captain, said. "They don't give you any freebies. They challenge your defenses."

As a collective, they always challenge batsmen's defenses, albeit in different ways. First there is Vernon Philander, whose strategy is the simplest. On a surface which offers any assistance, he is doubly effective. He showed it on the first morning: fourth stump, outside off, move the ball a little. He chases the edge and targets the pads, limits the runs but does not search for speed. "It doesn't matter if you bowl 115 or 150," he said. He reeled off five successive maidens on the final morning as proof.

From the other end, there is Kagiso Rabada, who can send the speed gun soaring towards 150kph and can unleash a yorker as dangerous as his bouncer. Rabada has endless energy, the stamina for long spells and the sensibility to know what to do during them. "A thoroughbred," former bowling coach Allan Donald called him.

The ace for South Africa in this Test was Kyle Abbott. Coming off the bench, having last played a Test match in January and considering himself outside the "first three or maybe even four seamers to play" he looked the part. Abbott was picked ahead of Morkel not only because the latter is still searching for match fitness, but also because seam movement was going to be a factor. Abbott more than justified his inclusion. He worked Usman Khawaja over on the final morning by pitching it up and either moving it away or straightening; eventually he cashed in on Khawaja's uncertainty. Adam Voges also misjudged the length, underlining Abbott's ability to force the batsmen into a shot.

"I stick to top of off with the odd bouncer. My theory is always to make the batsmen play," Abbott said.

Especially because when they are playing, they can never be quite sure what they playing at. Abbott told the ABC that seam movement is something that surprises him as much as it does the batsmen. "I actually don't know when it's going to do that. If you watch my seam closely, the ones that nip back - it's quite upright, but then when it gets a bit towards second slip to the right-hander it hits the shiny side and goes the other way. That's a little bit of inconsistency in my wrist but I suppose if I don't know when it's coming how the hell does the batsman know? I try and hit the stumps - off, middle, whatever it is - as hard as I can and let the natural variation do the work."

It must be noted that discipline of the South African attack has gone up a notch since Charl Langeveldt took over as bowling coach after the 2015 World Cup. He was a relentless bowler himself - not emphatic - but insistent and he seems to be passing on the baton.

The skills South Africa have were on display, not on the final morning, but on the third evening. Abbott termed it "the investment session" when they beat the bat repeatedly but failed to find the edge. Philander showed some frustration but in general, South Africa were gearing up for a protracted battle against batsmen Quinton de Kock said looked "determined" to hang around. "From the start of a Test match, we talk about winning it on the last afternoon, willing to take it deep and be as patient as possible," de Kock said after the day's play.

Australia did not have the same idea. They collapsed for the third time in the series, against an attack that made it clear they could keep coming at them for as long as it took. "Test cricket is a ruthless environment. It's about who can hold those pressure situations most and be ruthless with just wanting more. It's about never being happy with what you've done and always trying to be your best for the team," Abbott said.