Photos: Ricky Ponting walks off into the sunset

Ricky Ponting raised both arms to acknowledge the crowd at the WACA ground as he said goodbye to cricket on Monday.

South Africa ruined the farewell, though, scoring an emphatic 309-run victory over the Aussies in the third Test to clinch the three-match series 1-0 and cement their position at the top of the ICC Test rankings.

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The South African players, led by captain Graeme Smith, applauded Ponting, who scored a modest eight in his 287th and final Test innings.

But the day belonged to the Proteas, who inflicted a first Test defeat on Australia in 2012..

Ponting's career ended with 13,378 Test runs at an average of 51.85, 40 minutes after he walked through a South African guard of honour on Monday morning.

The South African players' gesture captured the respect Ponting holds.

Cricket Australia paid lavish tribute to their retiring former captain, describing him as a "leader by example" and one of the "best prepared players in the modern game".

Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards said Ponting's decision was typical of the way he approached his cricket since becoming a first-class player in his teens and a Test player at 20.

Following a poor start to the Test series with low scores in Brisbane and Adelaide, Ponting said he was troubled by the "tentative" manner of his dismissals.

In the second Test in Adelaide, he was bowled twice in the same match for only the second time in a career that began in 1995.

The 37-year-old former Australia captain, the second highest run scorer in test cricket, said on the eve of his 168th match that it would be his last and he had hoped to go out on a high with a series win against the Proteas.

Those hopes had been dashed by two days of brilliant cricket from the best Test side in the world, which left Australia chasing 632 runs over the last two days of the match to secure an unlikely victory.

South African spinner Robin Peterson took the prized wicket, having the former Australia captain caught in the slips by Jacques Kallis.

Ponting, who retired from One-day cricket in February, scored nought in the only innings Australia batted in the first Test against South Africa, four and 16 in the second Test and 4 and 8 in the third.