Marsh, Abbott star as Australia flatten South Africa to seal series win

Australia clinched the series victory with another emphatic win over South Africa in Durban, beating the Proteas by eight wickets following another thumping display with the bat. After Nathan Ellis and Sean Abbott combined to take six wickets to restrict South Africa to a below-par score of 164/8, Australia mowed down the target in style, with Matthew Short and Mitchell Marsh scoring half-centuries to take the visitors home with 31 balls to spare.

Having been put into bat, Temba Bavuma blazed his way to a 17-ball 35 to give the Proteas a rapid start against the new ball. However, the opener’s dismissal to start the fourth over opened the floodgates for another collapse as the hosts lost four wickets inside the powerplay. Jason Behrendorff pinned Rassie van der Dussen on his pads before Nathan Ellis rounded out the powerplay with an inspired double-wicket maiden.

The pacer set up Reeza Hendricks expertly before nicking off Dewald Brevis for a golden duck, leaving South Africa reeling at 46/4. Tristan Stubbs and Aiden Markram steadied the ship through the middle overs with a 51-run stand before Behrendorff outfoxed the youngster with a slower ball. The skipper upped the ante with a couple of big shots against Hardie and Zampa but perished on 49, with Nathan Ellis and Sean Abbott delivering a death overs masterclass to limit the Proteas to 164.

Australia got off to a watchful start in response, managing just 32 runs in the first five overs for the loss of Travis Head, who mistimed one to mid-on. However, Matthew Short kickstarted Australia’s charge in the final over of the powerplay, creaming Lungi Ngidi for 20 runs in six deliveries. Fresh off his unbeaten 92 on Wednesday, Mitchell Marsh didn’t miss a beat, joining Short to put the Proteas to the sword. The skipper carted Bjorn Fortuin for four boundaries in his opening over and laid waste to the South African bowlers alongside Short.

The opener brought up his maiden T20I fifty in 25 deliveries and leant into Gerald Coetzee in a 24-run 11^th over to bring the equation down to less than run-a-ball. Shamsi offered the hosts some respite by enticing a leading edge from Short to end the century partnership, but Mitchell Marsh took over the scoring reins to power Australia home.

The skipper brought up back-to-back fifties and plundered Shamsi and Ngidi for a series of boundaries to finish with 79 off 39 deliveries, helping the visitors take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.