Green, Head and Marsh centuries give Australia consolation win (Source: Getty Images)
Australia secured a resounding 276-run win in the third and final ODI of the series against South Africa on the back of dominating all-round performance with both bat and ball. This was also the second-biggest margin of victory for them and the heaviest defeat for South Africa in ODIs.
Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh put together a massive 250-run stand for the first wicket, with Head being the aggressor between the two. The two raced off past the 100-run mark at a brisk rate, which was the first time in 24 innings that Australia managed to forge a century opening stand in ODIs.
Head later went on to bring up his century while Marsh brought up his hundred around 10 overs after Head’s milestone before Cameron Green accelerated alongside Alex Carey. The duo stitched an unbeaten 82-ball 164-run stand for the third wicket as Australia ended up with a whopping 431/2 at the end of 50 overs, their second-highest ODI total.
Out for the chase, the Proteas were four down with just 50 on the board. Aiden Markram (2 off 8) registered his second single-digit score in a row. The 57-run stand for the fifth wicket was broken after Cooper Connolly struck to get rid of Tony de Zorzi (33 off 30). The batting all-rounder went on a roll from that point, becoming the youngest Australian to pick a five-wicket haul in ODIs.
Kwena Maphaka (0 off 5), who had conceded 73 runs in six overs earlier in the match, was the last to get dismissed as South Africa folded for just 155 in 24.5 overs. However, they clinched the series by a 2-1 margin, extending their dominance over the Aussies in ODIs in bilateral series. Nonetheless, this match will be remembered for Australia’s pure dominance.
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