MELBOURNE (AFP)
Matthew Hayden, Australia's cricketer of the year, warned South Africa to prepare for another walloping in their return series over the next two months.

Australia whitewashed South Africa for the first time in 70 years in their three-Test series in December and January and leave for Johannesburg on Thursday to play another three-Test series.

"The South Africans, while they'll be a tough opposition knowing that they're in their home venue, they'll also be aware of the fact that we're an imposing structure in terms of world cricket and we're very proud of our number one status as well," said Hayden. "So we'll be very keen to go out there and give them a good walloping."

Hayden was rewarded for his amazing year when he won the Allan Border Medal for Australia's top cricketer on Monday night. He also cleaned up the Test player award for the first time, having scored 1391 Test runs in the calendar year, the third-best total ever.

Hayden said that confidence was spreading throughout the team following the recent 3-0 thumping of South Africa.

"I think the thing that we can do when when we go to South Africa is march into their territory with our heads held incredibly high knowing that we've given them a good touch-up during the domestic summer," he said. "We are the best side in the world, there's no doubt about that, and we'll be out there to prove exactly that."

Fellow batsman Ricky Ponting said South Africa was an important tour given it was the venue for next year's one-day World Cup.

Ponting said he was satisfied to be named Australia's limited-overs cricketer of the year in 2001, but was still wanted some greater consistency in his game.

"Cricket for me is all about consistency and it's something that I haven't really done well this summer," he said. "I have been really hot and then really cold in patches and I've got to be more consistent, hopefully, over the next 12 months."

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