Reigning world champions Australia were given a brutal reality check as they crashed to an unbelievable 67-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in Durban, as the hosts are now one win away from clinching another ODI series win against Australia, which will be their 6th series win should they achieve it. In a match where, for most of the time, Australia dominated and were ahead in the game, they found a way to lose the plot and the match as well in a convincing fashion.
There are areas where Australia fumbled under pressure, and we will list them out for you here.
Letting South Africa off the hook from a precarious position hurt Australia.Â
Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first on a decent deck and the new ball bowlers started well knocking the two openers back in the hut as the Proteas managed only 40/2 in the first 10 overs. Thereafter, Australia chipped away at the wickets in the middle phase and never allowed the Proteas to get away. When David Miller was dismissed, South Africa were in real trouble at 168/5 in the 34th over when Marco Jansen joined Breetzke in the middle.
What followed was counterproductive as Australia lost the plot and this partnership was allowed to flourish. Jansen took the attack to the Aussies while Breetzke was happy to play the ball on the merit. They maximised the remaining middle overs as the Proteas were 208/5 and had some sort of a launch pad. They cashed in on the death overs phase as Australia lost the plot in bowling and bowling changes. The partnership was worth 107 runs to take the score to 275 and the Proteas scored 89 runs off the back 10 overs to get a good score on the board.
Australia when they review this match needs to get their death overs bowling right and not let the opposition off the hook. There were many instances where Australia were on top, but they let the opponents back in which is unlike Australia we know. This is an area they need to work on. The bowling was decent but gave away a bit too many in the end if we are being hypocritical here.
Losing the plot to the spinners in the middle phase exposes Australia’s vulnerabilities.Â
Chasing a stiff target of 298 runs for the win, Australia courtesy of their captain Mitchell Marsh were off to a blazing start in the first power play as they plundered the Proteas fast bowling to all parts of the ground. Travis Head gave him good company as the duo smashed 90 runs in 9 overs with the captain Marsh scoring 60 of them. Notwithstanding, Marsh’s dismissal to Keshav Maharaj in the power play when the score was 90, Aussies were well-placed at 96/1 in 10 overs.
All it needed, was a sensible batting from the middle order, and Australia would have definitely got the win. South Africa were in all honesty out of the game after the first power play. But credit to captain Temba Bavuma and his team for still believing in themselves that they can come back and did so in style. The spinners did the damage led by Keshav Maharaj, but the pacers did their job as well in the backend. Travis Head fell when the score was 129 while Inglis fell at the score of 134.
Then wickets fell at regular intervals as Connolly fell at 156, Green at 176, Jack Edwards on debut at the score of 188, Matt Renshaw at the score of 215. Mitchell Starc fell when the score was 221 and the last two wickets of Ellis and Zampa fell at 230. To put things into perspective Australia lost 10/140 in about 32 overs which is just not acceptable at this level from a champion team like Australia. They need to seriously look at this performance and collapse and how they lost from such a winning position, if they want to stay alive in the series on Sunday.
Losing 6 wickets to spin and 4 to Keshav Maharaj exposes Australia’s middle order.Â
It is a known fact that after the sudden retirements of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis alongside David Warner as well, Australia had problems playing quality spinners in 50-over game and were found out in Australia last year when Maharaj bamboozled them in 2025. We thought that the Aussies would learn from their mistakes, and play spin better especially the middle order batters. But they were found wanting and were exposed as even after scoring 90+ runs in the first 10 overs, they failed to chase 298 and fell woefully short in the end.
Keshav Maharaj dismissed Marsh while Fortuin got into the act in the middle phase and chipped away at the wickets. The duo outbowled Australia’s premier leg spinner Adam Zampa by a big way. They bowled the right lines and lengths, but the Aussies were guilty of giving their wickets away. When the required rate was under control, there was no need to take the bowlers on, especially Maharaj. They could have played him out and attacked the others. But no, they wanted to be heroes at the end of the day.
It meant the Proteas roared back into the match thanks to the collapse enticed by Maharaj and they shut the door on the Aussies in Durban to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series. Australia’s batting against spin is a big worry and a gaping hole in the middle phase of the game from the middle order. They would want to address that and sort it out before they play a must-win game on Sunday at Johannesburg. They have two days time to solve the Maharaj and Fortuin problem, more Maharaj if we are being brutally honest.
What Lies Ahead.Â
So, South Africa lead the series 1-0 and would like to seal the series when the two teams meet on Sunday, 27th September, 2026 at Johannesburg from 1:30 PM onwards as it is Pink Day with the Proteas donning the Pink Jersey. The hosts would love to get the series win with a game to spare while Australia will be desperate for a fightback on Sunday. Which way is it going to go on Sunday? Well, only time will tell.
Also Read: SA vs AUS: Matthew Breetzke’s 2nd ODI Ton Punishes Australia