South Africa secured a dominant 122-run victory over Australia at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg to secure a vital 3-2 come-from-behind One Day International (ODI) series victory on Sunday.

Allrounder Marco Jansen starred with both bat and ball. First, the lanky 23-year-old struck four fours and three sixes in a late innings flurry of 47 off 23 to guide the Proteas to 315 for nine before he took his first career five-wicket haul to help dismiss the Aussies for 193 within 35 overs.

“Marco has got such huge potential and we probably saw him realise a little bit of it today in that he contributed on both ends with the bat and with the ball. But there’s so much more in the tank with him, to be fair,” white-ball coach Rob Walter said after the clash.

“For me, it’ll be enjoying the fact that he put both bat and ball performances together but understanding that he’s not even close to his ceiling yet and that’s what I’ll be pushing him towards achieving.”

It has been a brilliant turnaround in fortune for South Africa after having gone down 2-0 early in the five-match ODI series – after losing a three-match T20I series 3-0 – to win the final three ODI matches.

It was also South Africa’s final series before they begin their World Cup campaign at the start of October — although they have two warm-up matches lying in wait in India.

Slow start

After being inserted to bat, South Africa’s innings got off to an awful start when skipper Temba Bavuma was run out by Marnus Labuschagne in the second over for a duck.

Quinton de Kock of the Proteas during the 5th One Day International against Australia at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on 17 September 2023. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)

Quinton de Kock (27 off 39), playing in his final ODI in South Africa – having announced his retirement in the format after the World Cup – struggled along before being dismissed by Nathan Ellis.

South Africa were trudging along at 103 for four in the 24th over before David Miller joined Aiden Markram at the crease after the scalps of Rassie van der Dussen (30 off 48) and Heinrich Klaasen (6 off 13).

Markram (93 off 87) passed 50 for the second time in this series as he shared an excellent 109-run fifth-wicket stand with Miller (63 off 65).

Both batters timed the ball crisply on the slower-than-usual Wanderers wicket, creaming three sixes apiece through the thin Highveld air.

Allrounders Jansen and Andile Phehlukwayo (39 off 19) struck vital late-order runs to ensure South Africa passed 300. Phehlukwayo clobbered 24 runs, including three sixes and a four, in the final over of the innings off the bowling of South African-born Michael Neser to get the Proteas to 315 for nine.

Phehlukwayo’s heroics with the bat as well as his knack for taking important wickets has put him in the frame for a late World Cup inclusion, despite missing out on the provisional squad, with Sisanda Magala and Anrich Nortje both nursing injuries.

Marco magic

The Proteas celebrate the wicket of Mitchell Marsh of Australia during the 5th One Day International against Australia at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on 17 September 2023. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)

Outside of skipper Mitchell Marsh (71 off 56) and Labuschagne (44 off 63), none of the Aussie batters found any sort of rhythm in Johannesburg on Sunday.

After taking 34 runs off the first three overs of the innings, Jansen entered the attack and got rid of both David Warner (10 off six) and Josh Inglis (zero off four) in the fourth over without conceding a run.

The extra bounce produced by the beanpole bowler was the undoing of Warner before Inglis dragged on a wider ball.

Marsh and Labuschagne were at the crease at that stage and put on a 90-run, 98-ball third-wicket partnership with no real fuss to take Australia to 124 within 20 overs.

But Jansen came back into the attack and after being smashed for two sixes by Marsh off short deliveries, got the captain with another half-tracker, this time wider outside the off stump, caught by Lungi Ngidi at third man.

Marco Jansen of the Proteas celebrates the wicket of Mitchell Marsh of Australia during the 5th One Day International against Australia at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on 17 September 2023. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)

Jansen had another double-wicket over in his next six-ball haul, this time getting rid of the dangerous Labuschagne as well as Alex Carey (two off four), who scored 99 in the fourth ODI.

That meant Jansen picked up all five of Australia’s wickets to have fallen, collecting his first career five-wicket haul in the format. He finished with five wickets for 39 runs in eight overs.

Australia slumped to 136 for five at the 22nd over.

Wrapping it up

It was all one-way traffic for South Africa at that point with none of Australia’s lower-order hitters able to fire for their side the way Jansen and Phehlukwayo did for the Proteas.

David Miller and Quinton de Kock of the Proteas salute the crowd at the 5th One Day International against Australia at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on 17 September 2023. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)

Wanderers was sold out for the clash and was loud throughout, but a special roar echoed through the crowd when the result of the Springbok Rugby World Cup match was read by the stadium announcer.

Keshav Maharaj got into the act late, picking up four tail-end scalps while Phehlukwayo trapped Neser lbw.

South Africa next face Afghanistan and New Zealand on 29 September and 2 October, respectively, at the Greenfield International Stadium in India before their Cricket World Cup campaign officially kicks off against Sri Lanka on 7 October. DM