Australia have dominated South Africa’s largely unknown batting lineup to secure an unlikely victory in the first match of a three-game Twenty20 series in Darwin.
South Africa lost by 17 runs in at Marrara Oval on Sunday, bowled out for 161 after Australia were dismissed for a disappointing 178 from the final ball of an innings rescued by Tim David’s 83.
South Africa’s innings was built around 71 in 55 balls from the wicketkeeper and opening batter Ryan Rickelton.
Josh Hazlewood was the hero for Australia, claiming three for 27, while the veteran legspinner Adam Zampa finished with two for 33 from his four overs.
Opening the bowling, the offspinner Glenn Maxwell took one for 29 from four overs and took a typically spectacular catch, leaping over the boundary and tossing the ball in the air, to get rid of Rickelton in the final over.
Australia have now won an unprecedented 23 of their past 27 T20 internationals, including a 5-0 clean sweep in the Caribbean last month.
The Proteas have managed only six wins from their past 13 matches and had not won any of their past three bilateral series.
Wild batting led to Australia collapsing to six for 75, attempting to cash in on fielding restrictions during the first six overs, but a bad miss in the field allowed David to salvage matters, hitting eight sixes in his 52-ball innings while batting with the tail.
David was given a costly life on 56 when he skied the spinner Senuran Muthusamy to long on, only for Tristan Stubbs to drop a straightforward outfield catch. The next two balls went for six.
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The Australia captain, Mitchell Marsh, set the tone by smashing the first ball of the match, from Lungi Ngidi, over long off for six after the South African captain, Aiden Markram, won the toss and chose to bowl.
But Travis Head (2) went in the second over and the new No 3 Josh Inglis for a first-ball duck in the third.
Marsh (13) skied Kagiso Rabada to Kwena Maphaka at deep square leg, Cameron Green (35 in 13 balls) hit Ngidi straight up in the air, and Mitch Owen (2) played the worst shot of the night, charging Maphaka to lose his off stump.
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