South Africa have won their three-match ODI series against Australia 2-1 after a rain-shortened third match in Potchefstroom went the tourists’ way, Australia completing a 45-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method to avoid what would have been a first clean sweep for the Proteas against Australia in nearly a decade. The result, confirmed on October 1, closes out a series that swung on two colossal totals in Durban and Johannesburg before the weather intervened at SuperSport Park.
How The Series Was Won And Nearly Lost
South Africa took control early, winning the opener in Durban by 67 runs after Matthew Breetzke’s 112 and a punchy 75 from Marco Jansen carried the hosts to 297 for 8, a total Australia never matched as they folded to 230 in 41.2 overs, undone by Keshav Maharaj’s 4 for 20. The second ODI in Johannesburg was even more lopsided on the scoreboard: South Africa posted 365 for 9, built on David Miller’s 142 off 93 balls and Temba Bavuma’s century, and survived a spirited Australian reply of 333 built around 84 apiece from Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head to win by 32 runs and seal the series with a match to spare.
A Dead Rubber That Refused To Behave That Way
With the series already gone, Australia had every reason to go through the motions in the dead rubber at Potchefstroom, but instead produced arguably their most complete performance of the tour. Half-centuries from Alex Carey, who made 74 off 88 balls in a successful return to the ODI side, and captain Mitchell Marsh, who struck 56 off 42, plus a quickfire 48 from Ollie Peake, lifted Australia to 322 for 9. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who had endured a difficult series up to that point, returned figures of 2 for 34 off six overs, while Xavier Bartlett struck twice early to leave South Africa chasing hard against the clock as much as the target.
Rickelton’s Resistance Not Enough
Only Ryan Rickelton offered sustained resistance in South Africa’s chase, unbeaten on 71 off 81 balls when rain ended the match with the hosts on 145 for 4 after 28 overs, 45 runs shy of the DLS par score of 190. South Africa’s middle order, so destructive in Johannesburg, could not replicate that form under pressure, and the match-defining passage came in the overs either side of the rain delay when Australia’s seamers kept the required rate climbing.
Two Readings Of The Same Series
For South Africa, the series win is another data point in a sustained run of white-ball form that has pushed them to third in the ICC Men’s ODI rankings, and the manner of their victories in Durban and Johannesburg, built on substantial totals rather than low-scoring squeaks, will please a team management keen to show consistency ahead of a packed home season. For Australia, the counter-argument is that a resurgent Carey and Zampa, combined with Marsh’s form as captain, suggest the tourists leave South Africa with more momentum than the series scoreline implies, particularly with senior bowler Pat Cummins also making ground in his comeback from injury during the trip. Australian commentators have been quick to note that a weather-assisted consolation win should not paper over the batting fragility exposed in Durban, where the top order was blown away by spin inside 42 overs.
What It Means Going Forward
South Africa’s series win keeps them firmly in the mix near the top of the ODI rankings alongside India and New Zealand, and offers further evidence that their white-ball depth, with Breetzke, Miller, Bavuma and Rickelton all contributing centuries or near-misses across the tour, has genuine strength in numbers. For Australia, the challenge now is converting the signs of revival shown by Carey, Zampa and Cummins into sustained form as they prepare for the next phase of their white-ball calendar, with the batting unit needing a response to the Durban collapse before the side’s next limited-overs assignment. Both camps will take lessons from a series that was, for two matches, as one-sided as recent South Africa-Australia cricket has been, before a rained-off final day left the result closer than the overall cricket suggested.
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