South Africa defeated Australia by 67 runs in the first ODI of the Australia in South Africa 2026-27 series at Kingsmead, Durban. The hosts, playing without Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman and Kwena Maphaka, produced a complete team performance to open their home international summer with a commanding victory.
Matthew Breetzke, who became the leading run-scorer in ODI cricket after 14 innings, struck the second century of his career to anchor the South Africa innings. Marco Jansen equalled his career-best score of 75 and took four catches, including a spectacular one-handed effort on the boundary. Left-arm spinners Keshav Maharaj and Bjorn Fortuin shared six wickets between them as Australia fell 67 runs short, losing their last nine wickets for 101.
How did South Africa build their total?
Australia chose to bowl first and had the measure of South Africa for the first two-thirds of the innings. Josh Hazlewood bowled a fuller length and proved difficult to get away, Nathan Ellis used wobble seam and slower balls effectively, and Adam Zampa took two wickets in his first four overs to keep the middle overs quiet.
The home side shuffled their batting order due to the absence of Aiden Markram for personal reasons, with Tony de Zorzi opening alongside Quinton de Kock. De Zorzi was dismissed for a seven-ball duck, and de Kock was caught behind off Ellis to leave South Africa at 29 for 2 in the eighth over. Temba Bavuma worked hard for a 48-ball 30 before being caught behind off a Zampa leg-break. Ryan Rickelton, batting at No. 5, the lowest position in his ODI career, showed promise before being caught by Matt Renshaw off Zampa.
David Miller struggled, managing only 9 off 24 balls before a leading-edge off Ellis ended his innings. South Africa were placed at 168 for 5 in the 34th over when Jansen arrived at the crease and joined Breetzke.
Jansen played aggressively from the start, hitting Mitchell Starc through midwicket and sending Zampa over long-on with a no-look six. He raced to 41 off 31 balls before eventually reaching his fifty. Breetzke, who was on 76 from 79 balls when Jansen came in, entered the 90s with a punch over point in the 43rd over and reached his hundred with a single in the next over.
Jansen reached fifty when he hit Starc to long-on, where Cooper Connolly attempted a sliding catch but could not hold on. South Africa entered the last five overs on 243 for 5, plundered 30 runs off the next two overs and also benefitted from Australia’s slow over-rate, which meant the visitors had to bowl the last two overs with a fielding penalty. The pair added 107 runs together to help South Africa get to 297/8.
How did South Africa dismiss Australia in the chase?
Set the second-highest successful chase at Kingsmead, Australia started at a rapid pace. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head put on 90 inside 10 overs. Marsh was particularly severe on Jansen’s third over, which went for 17 runs, and reached his fifty off just 31 balls, bringing it up with a 104-metre six over the leg side. Head had less strike early, scoring 7 off 11 balls in that period, but accelerated when Corbin Bosch came on.
Keshav Maharaj was brought on to slow the chase and his first spell of four overs yielded 1 for 13. He dismissed Marsh, who drove to Breetzke at cover. Jansen returned in the 15th over and dismissed Head, who top-edged to deep third attempting to turn the ball to leg. Josh Inglis gloved a reverse-sweep to slip to give Fortuin his first wicket. Connolly then slog-swept Fortuin high to long-on, where David Miller took a sliding catch, and South Africa had clawed their way back into the contest.
Maharaj then had Cameron Green caught at long-on and Jack Edwards caught at slip. At that point, Australia were 188 for 6 and still needed 110 runs off 20.3 overs. Renshaw, on 31, and Starc took 14 runs off Jansen’s sixth over to bring the target into double figures. South Africa tightened their grip as Maharaj bowled a maiden, Jansen and Fortuin conceded just two runs in two overs, and Gerald Coetzee delivered another maiden filled with yorkers.
The decisive moment came when Coetzee dropped short, Renshaw pulled, and Jansen took a one-handed catch on the rope with his right arm at full stretch and his fingers gripping the ball inches off the ground. Australia were 215 for 7 at that stage and needed 83 runs in 82 balls. Bosch picked up two wickets late in the innings, and Maharaj claimed the final wicket when Zampa slog-swept to Breetzke.
Maharaj was the pick of the bowlers for the Proteas, as he finished with remarkable figures of 4/20 in 9.2 overs, including two maidens.
