South Africa posted 297 for 8, powered by Breetzke’s 112 and Jansen’s 75, before bowling out Australia for 230—Maharaj claiming 4-20—to secure a 67-run victory. Absent Rabada, Ngidi, Baartman, and Maphaka, the Proteas still managed a comprehensive opening win on home soil in Durban.
Marking Heritage Day, South Africa leveraged a diverse array of talent to secure victory. Breetzke became the leading run-scorer in ODI cricket after just 14 innings, scoring his second career century. Jansen equalled his career-best 75 and took four spectacular catches, while left-arm spinners Maharaj and Fortuin shared six wickets. Australia lost their last nine wickets for just 101.
Chasing the second-highest successful run chase at Kingsmead, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head got off to a blistering start, putting on 90 inside 10 overs as South Africa’s seamers struggled with length on a flat, sunny pitch. Marsh was particularly brutal against Jansen, smashing his third over for 17 and reaching his fifty off 31 balls with a massive 104-metre six over mid-wicket. Head, who lacked early strike, had more than tripled his score of 7 off 11 balls when Corbin Bosch was introduced into the attack.
With the pace bowlers failing to contain the scoring, the responsibility fell to Maharaj to slow the innings. In his second over, Marsh drove to cover, giving South Africa a wicket. Maharaj’s first spell yielded 1 for 13 across four overs, restricting Australia just enough for Temba Bavuma to attempt an aggressive counter-attack.
Marco Jansen returned for the 15th over but again struggled to find the right length, bowling too short for Connolly to hit for six, and too full to drive effectively. However, Jansen found his rhythm, bowling a good length to Head, who top-edged a drive to deep third slip while attempting to turn the ball to leg.
Josh Inglis gloved a reverse sweep to slip, handing Fortuin his first wicket. But the real turning point came when Connolly slog-swept Fortuin high to long-on, where David Miller took a sliding catch. South Africa truly clawed their way back when Maharaj trapped Cameron Green at long-on and caught Jack Edwards at slip. Australia were 188 for 6, needing 110 from 20.3 overs.
Matt Renshaw, on 31, joined Mitchell Starc and they extracted 14 runs off Jansen’s sixth over, reducing the target to double digits. South Africa maintained the pressure with Maharaj bowling a maiden, followed by Jansen and Fortuin conceding just two runs in two overs, and Gerald Coetzee delivering a maiden over filled with yorkers. With the required run-rate climbing to nearly six an over, pressure mounted when Coetzee bowled a short ball. Renshaw pulled, and Jansen took a breathtaking one-handed catch on the boundary rope, his right arm fully extended, gripping the ball inches off the ground.
Marco Jansen took a spectacular catch in the deep•Gallo Images/Getty Images
That dismissal effectively decided the match, leaving Australia at 215 for 7 needing 83 off 82 balls. Although Bosch claimed two expensive wickets at the end, Maharaj sealed the result with the final wicket as Adam Zampa slog-swept to Breetzke.
Cricinfo data reveals that since the 2023 ODI World Cup, Australia have been the worst-performing team against left-arm spin, averaging just 21.57 against such bowlers. Maharaj has personally taken 10 wickets against them in four innings.
While South Africa won the match in the field, their victory was anchored by Breetzke and Jansen. They rescued the innings from a precarious 168 for 5 in the 34th over, sharing a vital 107-run partnership to build a defensible total.
After electing to bowl, Australia’s attack troubled South Africa for the first two-thirds of the innings. Josh Hazlewood utilized a fuller length than Starc and proved difficult to dispatch, while Nathan Ellis employed the wobble seam and slower balls effectively. Zampa also took two wickets in his first four overs to keep the middle order quiet. South Africa saved their best performances for the end, scoring 54 runs in the final five overs to push close to 300.
The Proteas adjusted their batting order due to Aiden Markram’s absence for personal reasons, with Tony de Zorzi opening alongside Quinton de Kock. De Zorzi failed to replicate his twin centuries from Namibia, falling for a seven-ball duck. De Kock smashed the first six of the innings off a pulled Hazlewood, but was subsequently caught behind off Ellis, leaving South Africa struggling at 29 for 2 in the eighth over.
Mitchell Marsh launched a 104-metre six over the leg side•AFP/Getty Images
Bavuma battled hard for a 48-ball 30 but never appeared entirely at ease, eventually being caught behind off a Zampa leg-break to deepen top-order concerns. Ryan Rickelton came in at No. 5, the lowest position of his ODI career, taking his time to settle. His first boundary arrived on the 17th ball when he picked Starc off his pads, but he then found his rhythm. Three more boundaries followed off the next six balls, though Rickelton’s aggressive intent ended when he attempted to clear deep square off a Zampa delivery that should have gone for six, only to be caught by Renshaw on one leg.
By that point, Breetzke was on 45. He reached a run-a-ball fifty in the following over, hitting Renshaw down the ground for his seventh boundary. With David Miller at the other end, South Africa possessed ample firepower, though Miller also struggled to find his touch, laboring to 9 off 24 balls before edging a leading drive to Ellis, who took a sharp catch in his follow-through.
Sensing an opportunity to dismantle the middle order, Australia brought Marsh and Starc back into the attack. Jansen, however, had other ideas. He cleared his front leg to hit Starc through midwicket for four, prompting Zampa’s return. Jansen channeled his inner Dewald Brevis, sending Zampa over long-on with a no-look six before slog-sweeping for another. Starc was reintroduced, and his slower ball was smashed for a third Jansen six, then hit over his head for four. Jansen raced to 41 off 31 balls, providing Breetzke with a crucial breather from the responsibility of carrying the innings.
Breetzke was on 76 from 79 balls when Jansen joined him, and 87 off 94 in the 43rd over when he reached the 90s with a punch over point. In the next over, he reached his century with a single, celebrating with a roar and a gesture to the heavens. A ball later, Jansen reached his fifty by hitting Starc to long-on, where Cooper Connolly attempted a sliding catch but couldn’t hold on. South Africa entered the last five overs on 243 for 5, plundering 30 runs off the next two overs and benefiting from Australia’s slow over-rate, which forced the visitors to bowl the final two overs with a fielding penalty.
