South African bowlers made full use of the conditions in the opening T20I against Australia at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin on Sunday, August 10, scripting history by bowling out the hosts for 179 — the first time ever in T20I cricket.
Australia’s batters contributed to their own downfall, playing reckless shots and gifting wickets despite starting aggressively. After skipper Aiden Markram opted to bowl first, the Aussies adopted an all-out attacking approach but kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Early dismissals of Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, and Josh Inglis put them on the back foot.
A brief counterattack came from Cameron Green and Tim David, who added 40 runs off just 16 balls. But once the partnership broke, Australia suffered another collapse, sliding to 75/6.
Tim David’s Lone Stand
Despite the chaos around him, Tim David produced a stunning counterpunch. The Singapore-born batter hammered 83 off 52 balls, laced with four boundaries and eight massive sixes. Supported by Ben Dwarshuis and Nathan Ellis down the order, David pushed Australia to what seemed like a competitive total on a tricky, two-paced pitch.
However, David’s innings could have ended earlier if not for two dropped chances by Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚,” 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉, “𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌.”
The innings concluded with a dramatic moment — on the final delivery, Corbin Bosch ran out Nathan Ellis off his own bowling, sealing South Africa’s first-ever T20I dismissal of Australia as an entire team.
Maphaka and Rabada Shine with the Ball
Young pacer Kwena Maphaka was the star of the show for South Africa, claiming 4/20 in his four overs. His pace, precision, and clever variations dismantled Australia’s middle order. Veteran Kagiso Rabada also played a crucial role, finishing with 2/29 from his full quota.
Speaking after the match, Markram praised his bowling unit:
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔 — 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑻20𝑰𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌.”
While South Africa’s fielding was far from perfect, the Aiden Markram-led side will take confidence from dismantling a team riding a seven-match T20I winning streak heading into this encounter.
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