Opening batter Travis Head smashed 91 runs off 48 deliveries to help Australia beat South Africa by five wickets to clinch the three-match T20 International series 3-0 on Sunday. 

All three losses, at Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban, happened in the space of five days. Australia won the first and second T20I matches by 111 runs, and eight wickets, respectively, to hand the South Africans a humbling at home. 

On Sunday, the Aussies made light work of South Africa’s respectable total of 190 by chasing the score down with 13 balls to spare. 

None of the Proteas’ batters built on from starts, as regular wickets stunted the innings. 

South Africa have struggled to shake off the rustiness of their almost five-month international break. The bowlers were guilty of loose deliveries while their fielding also left a lot to be desired.  

“To put it bluntly, we were pretty much outplayed really throughout the series, in both departments,” Proteas’ white-ball coach Rob Walter said at the post-match press conference. 

“There were some lights at the end of the tunnel along the way … I think we improved as we went along [in the series]. And there were little bits of our blueprint that shone through today, specifically in the batting department.” 

Travis Head of Australia during the third KFC T20 International match between South Africa and Australia at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on 3 September 2023 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

A slow start

The Proteas were reeling at 12 for two within the first three overs of the match. Temba Bavuma and debutant Matthew Breetzke were both beaten by a lack of pace in the wicket. Two short balls by Marcus Stoinis sat up and were mistimed, by the opener and No 3, before being pouched by Head and Tim David, respectively. 

Mr Reliable, Reeza Hendricks (42 off 30), along with skipper Aiden Markram (41 off 23) put on a quickfire 58-run third-wicket partnership to help the home side to 70 for three in eight overs. 

Markram took a particular liking to Sean Abbott, nailing him for 26 runs in the 11 balls he faced off the quick. 

But Abbott had the last laugh, dismissing him nine runs short of a 10th T20I half-century. 

Hendricks and Tristan Stubbs (25 off 16) rebuilt the innings well, taking South Africa’s score past 100 in the 11th over. 

Stubbs looked in menacing form, as he clobbered a six that can only be described as a front-foot pull shot over midwicket. But then three wickets fell in the space of six balls. 

First, it was Hendricks, caught behind by Josh Inglis off the bowling of Tanveer Sangha. 

Next, it was Stubbs, caught chipping the ball down mid-wicket’s throat off the bowling of Abbott. 

Then, Bjorn Fortuin came and went for a three-ball duck, as Abbott completed a double-wicket maiden in the 14th over. 

The impressive quick finished with career-best figures of four wickets for 31 runs in his four-over spell. 

At 122 for six with six overs left in the innings, it looked like South Africa would limp to a poor total. 

Instead, Donovan Ferreira (48 off 21), on debut, stepped in and launched his second delivery of international cricket into the sight screen for a massive six. 

Ferreira combined with Gerald Coetzee (13 off 11) for an impressive 54-run partnership off only 28 deliveries as South Africa finished with a flurry. 

The two big hitters were eventually dismissed but South Africa’s score of 190 looked defendable on a slow Kingsmead pitch. 

Donovan Ferreira of South Africa during the third KFC T20 International match between South Africa and Australia at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on 3 September 2023 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

Temba Bavuma and Matthew Breetzke of South Africa during the third KFC T20 International match between South Africa and Australia at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on 3 September 2023 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

Headed for victory

The second half of the match could not have got off to a better start for South Africa, with skipper Markram picking up Matthew Short with the first delivery of the innings. 

But Head and Mitchell Marsh knocked the ball all over Kingsmead to take the score to 43-1 after four overs. Gerald Coetzee finally got rid of Marsh — the first time he has been dismissed this series — for 15 runs off 12 deliveries. 

Head (91 from 48 balls) smashed the ball to all parts of the stadium, hitting six sixes and eight fours as he struck his first half-century in T20I cricket. He reached his half-century off only 24 deliveries, brought up by a smeared straight drive off Keshav Maharaj — who played his first professional match since rupturing his Achilles tendon on 8 March. 

It wasn’t a welcome return for the slow left-arm bowler, whose first over back was despatched for 20 runs. 

Restricting Australia would always be a struggle with none of South Africa’s bowlers going for less than nine runs to the over. 

Inglis (42 off 22) was equally destructive from the other end, striking four sixes and one four. 

And it didn’t help South Africa’s cause that both Head and Inglis were dropped by Bavuma — off the bowling of Coetzee and Markram, respectively. 

Both batters were eventually dismissed by Fortuin, but not before the pair put on an 85-run, 43-ball third-wicket partnership. 

Allrounder Stoinis (37 off 21) entered the fray and walloped three sixes and two fours to finish the game off for the Aussies with two overs and one delivery to spare. 

The two teams will next face off in the five-match One Day International series which begins on Thursday. DM