Tim David’s brilliant 83 from 52 balls and 3-27 from Josh Hazlewood saw Australia to a compelling 17-run victory against South Africa in the first of three T20 Internationals at the Marrara Oval in Darwin on Sunday after a disciplined bowling performance compensated for a wild batting display by Australia.
The home scored at a rapid pace but lost wickets regularly reaching an eye-watering 71-4 in the six-over Power Play before David shepherded them to 178 all from exactly 20 overs but it proved ample with the tourists succumbing to 161-9 in reply.
Opener Ryan Rickelton battled hard for his 71 from 55 balls (7x4, 1x6) and added 72 for the fourth wicket with Tristan Stubbs (37 from 27 balls) but the asking rate continued to climb after the loss of three early wickets.
Ryan Rickelton gets his second T20I half-century 🙌
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) August 10, 2025
South Africa need 21 from the final over to win 🎯
📺 Stream #AUSvRSA on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/aqzQKbSLXd
Captain Aiden Markram drove three fours in the first over of the innings against Hazlewood before driving the final ball to mid off and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (14) miscued a drive against offspinner Glenn Maxwell to long off.
Dewald Brevis (2) was undone by a slower ball from left armer Ben Dwarshuis (4-0-26-3) with a leading edge lobbing tamely to cover.
When Stubbs holed out against Hazlewood South Africa lost four wickets in two overs, George Linde (0) caught at slip, Corbin Bosch (2) bowled by legspinner Adam Zampa and Senuran Muthusamy lbw to the same bowler attempting to reverse-sweep his first ball.
David’s powerful but also well-paced 83 kept Australia in the game after Cameron Green had smashed 35 from just 13 balls in a helter-skelter start.
Kwena Maphaka claimed an outstanding 4-20 from his four overs including the wicket of David, caught at long on, having hammered four fours and eight sixes during an innings played with only the tailenders for company during most of it.
Kagiso Rabada (2-29) did the early damage with the new ball having openers Travis Head (2) caught by Maphaka at deep gully and captain Mitch Marsh well caught by the same fielder with a huge skier to deep square leg.
Left arm spinner Muthusamy had remarkable figures of 1-11 from his first three overs including the wicket of the ever-dangerous Glenn Maxwell brilliantly caught at deep midwicket by a diving George Linde but David was dropped by Stubbs at long on from the first ball of his fourth over and David took advantage with two consecutive maximums.
Nonetheless, Muthusamy’s 4-0-24-1 was a highly creditable return on a flat, bouncy pitch offering no spin.
The teams have contrasting form coming into the series with Australia having won an unprecedented 22 of their last 26 T20Is including a 5-0 clean sweep in the Caribbean last month while the Proteas have managed only six wins from their last 12 matches and have not won any of their last three bilateral series. This victory Australia’s ninth in a row, a national record.
The second match of the series is at the same venue on Tuesday before concluding in Cairns on Saturday.
AUSTRALIA: Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (captain), Josh Inglis (wkt), Camerona Green, Tim David, Mitch Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Senuran Muthusamy, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi