In his first outing as captain, Mitchell Marsh struck a career high 92 not out to lead Australia to a thumping 111-run victory over the Proteas in Durban on Tuesday evening.

Australia put on a mammoth 226 runs in their allotted 20 overs thanks in large part to a mighty 50-ball, 97-run fifth-wicket partnership between Marsh and Tim David. Hard-hitting David clobbered 64 runs off only 28 balls.

It was the first time in nearly five months that South Africa had played international cricket and it showed every bit as much as Australia dominated every facet during the first of three T20 Internationals hosted at Kingsmead Cricket Stadium this week.

“All three disciplines showed a bit of rust. It’s been a minute since we last played and it showed today,” skipper Aiden Markram said after the match.

Australia came into the match with four debutants, including Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson, who all played mature roles in their side’s victory.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh struck an unbeaten 92 off only 49 balls against the Proteas in the first T20I at Kingsmead. Australia won by a record 111 runs. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

But it was 21-year-old leg spin bowler Sangha who was the most impressive, collecting four wickets for 31 runs in his four overs as South Africa were bowled out for a humbling 115 in 15.3 overs.

The 111-run margin is Australia’s largest win over South Africa in the format.

Edgy start

Australia started the match seemingly intent on setting a new world-record T20I score, scoring 70 runs in the first five overs.

But tidy bowling by Tabraiz Shamsi and Gerald Coetzee meant the Aussies could only muster a further 30 in their next five before Marsh and David broke loose on a good batting wicket.

South Africa’s cricket season began with the most enthralling opening three deliveries.

First a gorgeous outswinger by Marco Jansen – played and missed by Travis Head. Then a short-wide delivery creamed over backward point boundary for six, followed by the perfect back-of-a-length outswinger which kissed Head’s blade and found the grateful hands of Reeza Hendricks at slip.

It set the tone for an entertaining but ultimately one-sided evening of cricket in front of a sparse crowd at Kingsmead.

Jansen showed his lack of recent game time, sliding the next two deliveries in the opening over down the leg side for extras.

While the first over had eight deliveries and 11 runs, the second – bowled by Lungi Ngidi – went for 20 runs, all off the blade of captain Marsh who started like a man on a mission.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Proteas’ T20I Series against Australia more than just a mere World Cup warm-up

His batting partner, Short, showed no fear on debut as he smashed Jansen for a six and two fours in his first three balls he faced off the lanky quick as Australia sat pretty on 45-1 after three overs.

Lizaad Williams – South Africa’s fourth different bowler in five overs – temporarily stemmed the tide of runs with the important breakthrough of Short for 20 off 11 deliveries.

A hard length ball that Short tried to pull but top-edged to Reeza Hendricks at deep midwicket.

Marsh quietly brought up his fastest half-century in the format, off only 22 deliveries.

Australia still looked comfortable with 70 runs on the board with one over of the powerplay left, but amid the carnage T20I debutant Coetzee bowled a maiden wicket to close out the first six overs.

Coetzee outfoxed Josh Inglis with a slower yorker that lit up the zing bails before Marcus Stoinis was unable to get off the mark in the next four deliveries.

Williams dismissed Stoinis in the next over to leave the visitors on 77 for four after seven overs when David met Marsh in the middle of the Kingsmead wicket.

Dangerous duo

The pair were circumspect, striking one boundary an over for their first four overs together before David took a liking to Shamsi’s wrist spin.

Shamsi found purchase on the typically sticky wicket but David allowed the ball to come to him as he deposited the unorthodox bowler to the grass embankment on three occasions.

Marsh quietly brought up his fastest half-century in the format, off only 22 deliveries.

Dewald Brevis and Marco Jansen celebrate a wicket but there was little to smile about as Australia thrashed the Proteas. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

Shortly after, David brought up his own half-century with a delightful straight drive off Jansen, striking six fours and three sixes at the time but finishing with seven fours and four sixes.

After David’s third six off Shamsi, depositing one over the mid-wicket boundary, he tried to go again. This time, a ball pitched slightly fuller was sliced up into the air.

For a long time it looked like the ball would land safely between mid-on and mid-off but an acrobatic diving catch by Temba Bavuma at mid-off saw the dangerous David dismissed for 64.

Debutant Hardie came in and played an explosive cameo, including a glorious six over cover off Williams, of 23 off 14.

Marsh lost his timing slightly toward the end of the innings but still finished unbeaten on 92 with a strike rate of 188 to lead his side to 226 for six.

False start

South Africa never really got going in their innings – outside of a hopeful 24-ball, 46-run third-wicket partnership between Rassie van der Dussen and Hendricks.

Interestingly, Stoinis took the new ball for Australia and found prodigious movement.

The all-rounder conceded only one run and took the wicket of Bavuma, with a sharp in-swinger, to bump the required rate up to close to 12.

After a tentative start of four runs for one wicket after two overs, Van Der Dussen took on the medium pace of Stoinis, clubbing him for two fours and a six in the third over.

Before Hendricks and Van Der Dussen teamed up to take 17 off debutant Johnson’s second over to take the score to 36 for one after four overs.

But Van Der Dussen was no sooner back in the bleachers, bamboozled by a Sean Abbott leg cutter for 21 runs off 11 balls as South Africa found themselves on 53-2 after the powerplay.

Sangha came on and turned the match on its head. In his first over in international cricket he dismissed Markram for a run-a-ball seven. He then went on to get rid of promising talents Dewald Brevis (five off six), who was on debut, and Tristan Stubbs (zero off one), in consecutive deliveries.

Skipper Mitchell Marsh celebrates with teammates after dismissing Rassie van der Dussen at Kingsmead in Durban. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

The wicket of Stubbs was particularly impressive. Sangha drew the young keeper batter forward before zipping it past the outside edge as Inglis did the rest by knocking off the bails to stump Stubbs.

At the other end Hendricks continued merrily, bringing up his half-century with a delightful lofted cover drive off Sangha, thumping five fours, two sixes in his knock of 56 off 43 deliveries.

With the required run rate creeping up to 17, Jansen (20 off 14) swung across the line to Sangha, but lost his middle stump in the process, who picked up his fourth wicket with his penultimate delivery of his spell.

Stoinis came back into the attack and got rid of Coetzee and Williams to all but wrap up the South African innings, leaving the hosts reeling at 109 for eight in the 14th over.

Hendricks eventually departed, caught at mid-on for 56 off 43 balls, in the first ball of the 16th over – bowled by Johnson.

Johnson officially finished the match up two balls later, cleaning up No 11 Shamsi with a curving in-swinger, although the match had been out of realistic reach for the hosts five overs before. DM