Australia’s first ODI against South Africa was a tale of two distinct halves, with a promising and controlled start giving way to a disastrous and chaotic finish. A comfortable position at 0-60 in their chase of 297 was spectacularly undone, leading to a heavy 98-run defeat.
In the first half of their innings, the Australian openers looked assured, easily handling the South African pace attack. They laid a perfect platform, and a home victory seemed the most likely outcome. The chase was on track, the run rate was manageable, and there were no signs of the carnage to come.
The second half began with the introduction of spin, and the match was turned on its head. In a stunning reversal of fortunes, the Australian middle order disintegrated. Veteran Keshav Maharaj was the executioner, his 5-33 triggering a collapse of 6-29 that left the team in tatters.
This dramatic shift highlighted Australia’s vulnerability to high-quality spin. While Mitch Marsh fought hard with 88, his efforts belonged to the disastrous latter half of the innings, where a certain victory devolved into a comprehensive loss.