Venue: Marrara Cricket Ground, Darwin
Australia and South Africa faced off in the first match of their three-game T20 series on Sunday. The match was held in Darwin, marking the return of international cricket to the city after a 17-year absence. Both teams are preparing for the T20 World Cup in 2026, so this series is important for testing new players and strategies.
🇦🇺 Australia’s Innings
Australia batted first after South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl. The start was shaky. Australia lost three wickets quickly and were 30 for 3 in the early overs.
But Tim David changed the game. He played a brilliant knock of 83 runs from just 52 balls. His innings included 4 fours and 8 sixes. Cameron Green also helped with a quick 35 off 13 balls. However, other big names like Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Glenn Maxwell failed to score much.
Australia finished their innings at 178 runs in 20 overs. This was a decent total, but not unbeatable.
🇿🇦 South Africa’s Bowling
South Africa’s bowlers did a great job. Kwena Maphaka was the star. He took 4 wickets for just 20 runs. This was the best bowling performance by a South African against Australia in T20Is. Maphaka also became the youngest pace bowler to take four wickets in a T20I match among full-member teams.
Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi supported well, keeping the pressure on the Australian batters.
Team Changes and Strategy (Australia vs South Africa)
Australia made some changes to its squad. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were rested. Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head returned to the team. Head opened the batting with captain Mitchell Marsh. Glenn Maxwell batted lower down the order at number 7.
South Africa also had a fresh look. Captain Aiden Markram returned after missing the Zimbabwe tri-series. He opened with Ryan Rickelton. Young batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius came in at number 3. The team had a mix of pace and spin bowlers, including George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy.
Match Highlights
| Key Moments | Details |
| Toss | South Africa won and chose to bowl first |
| Australia’s Score | 178 all out in 20 overs |
| Top Australian Batter | Tim David – 83 runs off 52 balls |
| Top South African Bowler | Kwena Maphaka – 4 wickets for 20 runs |
| Sixes by Australia | 13 – joint-most vs South Africa in T20Is |
| Venue | Marrara Cricket Ground, Darwin |
| Crowd | Full house – first match in Darwin since 2008 |
What’s Next?
This was just the first match of the series. Two more T20Is will be played — one more in Darwin and the final one in Cairns. Both teams will look to improve and test their squads before the big tournament next year.
South Africa will be happy with their bowling performance. Australia will want their top-order batters to step up in the next game. (Australia vs South Africa)
Stay tuned for more action as these two cricket giants continue their battle!
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