South Africa 297 for 8 (Breetzke 112, Jansen 75, Ellis 3-57) beat Australia 230 (Marsh 60, Maharaj 4-20) by 67 runs

With the seamers struggling, with the job of slowing things down went to Maharaj and he did that and more. In his second over, Marsh drove him to Breetzke at cover to give South Africa some respite. Maharaj’s first spell lasted four overs and brought him figures of 1 for 13 and he pulled things back enough for Bavuma to try and attack again.

Jansen came back for the 15th over and again struggled with lengths, eventually going slow and short for Connolly to smash six and then too full for him to drive. Jansen did get it right when he bowled back of a length to Head who top-edged to deep third as he tried to turn the ball down leg.

Josh Inglis gloved a reverse-sweep for Jansen to catch at slip to give Fortuin his first but it may only have been when Connolly slog-swept Fortuin high to long-on where Miller took a sliding catch that South Africa started to claw back in. However, it was when Maharaj had Cameron Green caught at long-on and Jack Edwards caught at slip that South Africa would have considered themselves properly back in the contest. Australia were 188 for 6 and needed 110 runs off 20.3 overs.

Matt Renshaw, on 31, was joined by Mitchell Starc and they took 14 runs off Jansen’s sixth over to bring the target down to double figures. South Africa squeezed as Maharaj bowled a maiden, then Jansen and Fortuin gave away just two runs in two overs and Gerald Coetzee delivered another maiden, laced with yorkers. South Africa’s got the required run-rate up at close to six an over and pressure was building when Coetzee dropped it short, Renshaw pulled and Jansen took a one-handed stunner on the rope, with his right arm out at full stretch and his fingers gripping the ball inches off the ground.

That was the wicket that effectively decided the game, with Australia 215 for 7. They needed 83 runs in 82 balls and South Africa were in control. Bosch picked up two wickets at the end after an expensive day but fittingly, Maharaj got the final wicket, as Adam Zampa slog-swept him to Breetzke, who took three catches of his own.

According to Cricinfo data, since the 2023 World Cup, Australia have been the worst performing team against left-arm spin and average of 21.57 against that type of bowler and Maharaj has taken 10 wickets against them in four innings.

South Africa won the game in the field but their victory was set up by Breetzke and Jansen, who took South Africa from a middling 168 for 5 in the 34th over to a total they could defend.

After choosing to bowl first, Australia’s attack had the measure of South Africa for the first two-thirds of the innings. Josh Hazlewood made use of a fuller length than Starc and proved difficult to get away, Nathan Ellis’ use of the wobble seam and slower balls challenged South Africa while Zampa took two wickets in his first four overs to keep the middle overs quiet. South Africa saved their attacking best for the end and scored 54 runs in the last five overs, which was crucial to taking them close to 300.

South Africa shuffled their batting order to accommodate for the absence of Aiden Markram for personal reasons, and tasked Tony de Zorzi with opening with Quinton de Kock. De Zorzi was unable to build on his twin 70s from Namibia and was out for a seven-ball duck. De Kock struck the first six of the innings when he pulled Hazlewood behind square but was caught behind of Ellis to leave South Africa 29 for 2 in the eighth over.

Bavuma worked hard for a 48-ball 30 but never looked entirely comfortable and was caught behind off a Zampa leg-break to deepen the top-order worries. Ryan Rickelton was in at No. 5, the lowest he has batted in his ODI career, and took his time settling in. His first boundary came off the 17th ball he faced when he picked Starc off his legs but then he seemed to find his touch. Three more boundaries came off the next six balls he faced and Rickelton was keen to continue attacking. However, when he tried to clear deep square off a Zampa delivery that should have been sent for six, he found Renshaw, who took a good catch on one leg to end a promising start.

By then, Breetzke was on 45. He reached a run-a-ball fifty in the following over when he hit Renshaw down the ground for his seventh four. With David Miller at the other end, South Africa had plenty of firepower but Miller also struggled to find his touch. He laboured to 9 off 24 balls before getting a leading-edge off Ellis, who took a sharp catch in his follow-through.

Australia sensed an opportunity to run through South Africa as Marsh brought Starc back. Jansen had ideas of his own. He cleared the front leg to hit Starc through midwicket for four, prompting Zampa’s return. Jansen channelled his inner Dewald Brevis to send Zampa over long-on with no-look six and then slog-sweep for another. So Starc was brought back and his slower ball sent for a third Jansen six and then hit over his head for four. Jansen raced to 41 off 31 balls and gave Breetzke a break from shouldering the innings’ responsibility.

Breetzke was on 76 from 79 balls when Jansen came in and 87 off 94 in the 43rd over when he entered the 90s with a punch over point. In the next over, he reached his hundred with a single and celebrated with a roar and a gesture to the heavens. A ball later, Jansen reached fifty when he hit Starc to long-on, where Cooper Connolly attempted a sliding catch but couldn’t hold on and South Africa entered the last five overs on 243 for 5. They plundered 30 runs off the next two overs and benefitted from Australia’s slow over-rate, which meant the visitors had to bowl the last two overs with a fielding penalty.