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SYDNEY, Monday (AFP) - Team unity was the strength behind the Australian team who walloped nearest rivals South Africa 3-0 in their series billed world Test championship, captain Steve Waugh said Sunday.

Waugh's exceptional team is built around a communal system where all the players appear to thrive on each other's success.

"As a unit this one is very strong and cohesive," Waugh said after the 10-wicket demolition of the Proteas in four days in the third Sydney Test, which finished Saturday.

"We get on well and enjoy each other's company and the guys enjoy each other's success -- that's the X-factor in a really good side, you can enjoy your mates' success even if personally you're not playing well."

Waugh felt history would his judge his team favourably.

"We're playing pretty exceptional cricket, you'll look back in 10 years' time and say 'not a bad side, this one'.

"Beating South Africa 3-nil is a very good performance. It's a great result for the side, it's a credit to the whole squad, the amount of hard work we've put into the planning and the way we've executed our plans."

Australia won all three Tests by huge margins -- 246 runs, nine wickets and 10 wickets -- but the victories weren't easy, Waugh said.

"It's not as if we're waltzing around and coming away with the winnings every time without working hard -- it is hard out there.

"We hung in there in tough periods -- it wasn't always going in our favour and we had to work really hard in this game."

The team was also motivated by its detractors, who wrote off Australia before the series, and by a desire to test its own limits.

"We had a few things to prove, we always believed we were the best side even if others didn't.

"But it was a test for ourselves too, we wanted to know how we were going. You judge yourself against the second best side, which is South Africa, so we're pretty pleased at the moment."

Part of the unifying in this current team is the captain's own strength of will.

"I was always confident in my ability to do the job -- it obviously helps when you've got match-winners in the side but there has been a lot of hard work put in to get to this stage," he said.

"It's not as if we were always playing this well -- we've all grown together in the job."

Waugh's next task is to win the return series in South Africa, where conditions are less likely to suit Shane Warne, who was Australia's leading wicket-taker in this series with 17.

"We'd like to win three in South Africa -- that is a big task, we know that. But this side's capable of achieving anything we put our minds to."

"If the pitches are grassy over there that's fine, we've got the players to use those conditions. We don't mind what they serve up."

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