Aussies surge to clean sweep after Head blitz

A career-best T20I knock from Travis Head fired Australia's men to their first clean sweep abroad in a three-match T20 series as the opener made light work of a sizeable run-chase in Durban.

Debutant Donovan Ferreira made a barnstorming entrance to international cricket, clubbing five sixes to lift South Africa from 6-122 to set the Aussies an imposing 191 to win on a tacky Kingsmead surface.

Despite the Proteas finally getting the in-form Mitch Marsh out cheaply, dismissing the skipper for only 15 after he had bashed 92no and 79no in the first two T20Is, Head filled his shoes as he carted six sixes on the way to a 47-ball 91 to help his side get home with 13 balls to spare.

It nearly doubled Head's previous highest scored in T20Is (48no) and marked his first half-century, with the left-hander to enter this week's five-match ODI series in strong form as he stakes his claim to open at next month's World Cup.

The left-hander received strong support from Josh Inglis (42 off 22, with four sixes) and Marcus Stoinis (36 off 21, three sixes) with all three clearing the rope with ease as the hosts were left to rue a series of fielding errors.  

The five-wicket win sealed a 3-0 ledger for the Aussies, marking the first time they had gone undefeated in an away T20I series of three games or more.

It has revealed some considerable short-form depth in the absence of several big-name stars, though the whitewash has admittedly come against an equally undermanned South African side.

Australia's run-chase got off to the worst possible start, with Matt Short lbw to Aiden Markram on the first ball of the innings, before Marsh skied one off Gerald Coetzee to spark an impassioned celebration from the third-gamer.  

Head and Inglis however put on 85 in no time and had reduced the asking rate to around seven per over by the midway point of the innings, profiting from Temba Bavuma dropping catches off both batters in successive overs.

Markram, the part-time off-spinner who proved the hosts' most dangerous bowler, could also have had Head out on a return catch but failed to sight it as it looped not far from his left shoulder, while the skipper narrowly missed out on dismissing Stoinis on an lbw review.

After Markram won the toss and elected to bat, Stoinis snared two Powerplay wickets including Bavuma for a golden duck with a delivery that stuck in the wicket and ballooned off the opener's bat to point.

Tanveer Sangha, recalled after Adam Zampa was rested with a neck injury, was in disbelief when he bowled Reeza Hendricks (42 off 30) on a ricochet only for the leg bail to remain in place.

Sangha got revenge when he had Hendricks caught behind, as Sean Abbott (4-31) bounced back from going for 14 from his first over, dismissing Markram (41 off 23) before his double-wicket maiden sparked a collapse of 3-6 in six balls.

But Ferreira, as his side's last recognised batter with more than six overs left in the innings, underlined why he has commanded big interest around the world in domestic T20 leagues with a series of audacious strikes that ripped the game away from the Aussies.

The 25-year-old clubbed his second ball in international cricket, off Sangha, for a straight six before exploding late as he took down Stoinis (16 off his final over) and Nathan Ellis (22 off his penultimate over).

His big hitting delighted the Durban crowd and even left a fan R100,000 (A$8200) richer after a one-handed catch. It proved a costly afternoon for the gambling company running the promotion after a second one-hander was taken in the crowd off a Stoinis six later on.

Australia XI

Matt Short, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Ashton Turner, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Tanveer Sangha

 

South Africa XI

Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram (c), Donovan Ferreira, Tristan Stubbs (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Lizaad Williams, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi

2023 Qantas T20s v South Africa

August 30: First T20I, Durban - Australia won by 111 runs

September 1: Second T20I, Durban - Australia won by eight wickets

September 3: Third T20I, Durban - Australia won by five wickets

Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa

South Africa T20 squad: Aiden Markram (c), Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams, Rassie van der Dussen

2023 Qantas ODIs v South Africa

September 7: First ODI, Bloemfontein (D/N), 9pm AEST

September 9: Second ODI, Bloemfontein (D/N), 9pm AEST

September 12: Third ODI, Potchefstroom (D/N), 9pm AEST

September 15: Fourth ODI, Centurion (D/N), 9pm AEST

September 17: Fifth ODI, Johannesburg, 6pm AEST

Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Tanveer Sangha, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

South Africa ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Dewald Brevis, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Brjor Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen