Matthew Breetzke scored a superb 112 to guide South Africa to a 67-run victory over Australia in the first one-day international in Durban on Thursday, but the tourists will rue the loss of cheap wickets as they faltered in their chase.
South Africa posted 297 for eight in their 50 overs and Australia were well on course after a fast start, until poor shot selection caused their charge to collapse and they finished on 230 all out, losing their last nine wickets for 101 runs.
Australia will welcome the likely return of captain Pat Cummins for the second match in the three-game series in Johannesburg on Sunday, but if this series is a fact-finding mission ahead of the 2027 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, there will be much food for thought.
Deep Dive
How did Matthew Breetzke contribute to South Africa's victory against Australia in the 1st ODI?
What factors led to Australia's collapse in their innings during the 1st ODI against South Africa?
What implications does the South Africa vs Australia ODI series have for the teams ahead of the 2027 Cricket World Cup?
"I'm pretty disappointed," Australia captain Mitch Marsh said. "South Africa outplayed us. It was a good game of cricket but we fell well short.
"We had our opportunities, I am probably going to sound like a broken record speaking about having partnerships in our batting, but we weren't able to form many tonight."
{{/usCountry}}"We had our opportunities, I am probably going to sound like a broken record speaking about having partnerships in our batting, but we weren't able to form many tonight."
{{/usCountry}}Australia won the toss and decided to bowl, strangling the South African run-rate early on.
But when Breetzke came in at number four, he played conventional cricket shots to get his innings started, before he found a willing partner in big-hitting Marco Jansen.
Breetzke, who averages over 60 with the bat in his 15 ODIs, scored his 112 from 106 deliveries and Jansen equalled his career best with 75 in 59 deliveries.
Australia started their innings in brilliant fashion as Marsh blasted 60 from 36 balls and put on 90 in 9.2 overs for the first wicket with Travis Head (36 from 37 balls).
But too many batters threw their wickets away at the top of the order.
Jansen’s sensational diving one-handed catch in the outfield to dismiss Matt Renshaw (44) left Australia on 215-7, a position they never recovered from.
South African spinners Keshav Maharaj (4-20 in 9.2 overs) and Bjorn Fortuin (2-34 in 8) showed excellent control.
"Very satisfied, all round it was a good fight from the batters and bowlers," South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said.
“Looking at how both innings started, we were under pressure in the first 10 overs in each, but we managed to get a very competitive score on that wicket.”