Australia beat South Africa by 2 wickets in the third T20 match on Saturday. With this win, Australia won the three-match T20 series 2-1. In Cairns, South Africa batted first and scored 172 runs in 20 overs for 7 wickets.
Australia chased 173 runs and won with one ball left. Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell played very well. Maxwell scored 62 runs and was named Player of the Match.
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head gave a good start and added 66 runs for the first wicket. In the 8th over, Aiden Markram got Travis Head out for 19 runs. In the next over, Josh Inglis was out for 0, bowled by Corbin Bosch. In the 11th over, Vena Mphaka got Mitchell Marsh out. Marsh scored 54 runs in 37 balls with 5 sixes and 3 fours.
South Africa Batting Struggles
Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first. South Africa had a poor start and lost captain Aiden Markram for 1 run when the score was just 2. Luan-Dre Pretorius tried to stabilize the innings with Ryan Rickleton.
In the fifth over, Nathan Ellis got Pretorius out for 24 runs in 15 balls. Rickleton was out after scoring 13 runs. Then Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs added 61 runs for the fourth wicket. Ellis dismissed Brevis (53 runs in 26 balls with one four and six sixes). Stubbs scored 25 in 23 balls and was bowled by Adam Zampa. Corbin Bosch (1) and Senuran Muthusamy (9) were also out.
South Africa finished 20 overs with 172 runs for 7 wickets. Rassie van der Dussen scored 38 not out from 26 balls with three fours. Kagiso Rabada remained unbeaten on 4. Ellis took 3 wickets for Australia, Zampa and Josh Hazlewood took 2 each.
Australia Chase and Maxwell Heroics
Australia’s batting started poorly. Cameron Green scored 9, Tim David 17, Aaron Hardie 1, Ben Dwarshiv 1, and Nathan Ellis 0. Glenn Maxwell then scored an unbeaten 62 off 36 balls with eight fours and two sixes. He led Australia to 173 for 8 with one ball remaining, giving the team the win. For South Africa, Corbin Bosch took 3 wickets, Kagiso Rabada and Vena Mphaka 2 each, and Aiden Markram 1 wicket.