South Africa crush Australia by 98 runs in Cairns ODI

CAIRNS: South Africa outplayed Australia in the opening clash of a three-match One Day International (ODI) series on Tuesday, sealing a convincing 98-run victory at Cairns.

Batting first, South Africa posted 296 for 8 in their 50 overs, built on a strong top-order display.

Aiden Markram struck a fluent 82, while skipper Temba Bavuma added 65 and Matthew Breetzke contributed 57.

Ryan Rickelton chipped in with 33 at the top, ensuring steady momentum.

🚨 MATCH RESULT 🚨

A superb all-round display from the Proteas! 💪🇿🇦

They sealed victory by 98 runs in the opening ODI to take a 1-0 lead in the series. 🔥👏#WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/nWHIGS775p

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 19, 2025

Travis Head was the most successful bowler for Australia, claiming 4 for 57, while Ben Dwarshuis picked up two wickets.

In reply, Australia faltered against South Africa’s disciplined spin attack, collapsing to 198 all out in 40.5 overs.

Mitchell Marsh fought hard with a sparkling 88, but he received little support as wickets fell regularly.

Keshav Maharaj was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 5 for 33, including the prized scalps of Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Alex Carey in quick succession.

At 0-60, Australia looked to be cruising towards a chasedown. That was until Keshav Maharaj completely flipped the script in Cairns. #AUSvSA https://t.co/FxiSh12Q4c

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 19, 2025

Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi chipped in with two wickets each to finish off the innings.

From a promising 60 for 1, Australia slumped to 89 for 6, losing five wickets for just 29 runs, with Maharaj at the heart of the collapse.

Marsh’s counter-attacking knock briefly revived hopes, but once he departed at 174, the chase unravelled quickly.

South Africa now lead the three-match series 1-0, with the next game set to be played later this week.