AUS vs SA 2025, 1st T20I Review: David, Hazlewood help Australia seal ninth consecutive T20I win | CricTracker

Australia emerged victorious over South Africa in the first T20I by 17 runs at the Marrara Oval in Darwin. With this, the Mitchell Marsh-led team took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and secured a record ninth successive T20I victory.

Being sent in to bat first, the hosts were off to a flying start as Marsh leaned back and launched the ball high over mid-off for a maximum off the very first ball. That was followed by a hammer over cover for a four as Australia milked 14 runs off Lungi Ngidi’s over.

The follow-up was a stark contrast to the first over as Kagiso Rabada kept Travis Head quiet after Marsh ran a single off the first ball. Head walked back for 2 off 7 after receiving a lifeline on the fifth ball while the in-form Josh Inglis offered a simple catch to point to walk away with a golden duck.

Marsh (13 off 7) perished in the fourth over before Australia regained momentum to race to 60/3. Ngidi was hit for a six and four but had the last laugh as he got the prized wicket of Green (35 off 13). Kwena Maphaka, who was introduced after the completion of the powerplay, struck with the wicket of Mitchell Owen (2 off 4) with Australia reaching 88/6 at the halfway mark.

A 109-metre monster hit from Tim David on the first ball of the 12th over forced a ball change. David got to his half-century at the end of the 13th over. Although Australia were going at a decent clip, Ben Dwarshuis played a tepid innings before holing out to mid-off to get out for a 19-ball 17.

Senuran Muthusamy, who had conceded only 11 runs in his three overs, leaked 13 in his fourth. Maphaka became the youngest seamer to pick up a four-wicket haul in a T20I among full-member teams as he finished with two wickets in his final over. Australia ended up getting all-out for 178.

The first over of South Africa’s reply was similar to that Australia’s as Aiden Markram got off to a blistering start. However, Josh Hazlewood had the final say after getting rid of the Proteas skipper in the same over. 

Glenn Maxwell shared the new ball alongside Hazlewood and the match-up with the left-hander paid off in his second over as Lhuan-dre Pretorius (14 off 9) picked out Owen at wide long-off. The final over of the powerplay produced another wicket, as Dewald Brevis (2 off 6) was caught by substitute fielder Sean Abbott.

Maxwell’s kept things tight from one end before Adam Zampa was brought to bowl. The required rate only crept up following a boundary-less over by Dwarshuis. With dew setting in, the wet ball seemed to be a problem for the bowlers. Just when it seemed that Stubbs was changing the tempo, he was caught behind off a bottom edge for 37 off 27 by Hazlewood. The tactic to get the slip in for Linde worked as he became Hazlewood’s third victim.

Zampa’s last two deliveries produced the wickets of Corbin Bosch (2 off 4) and Muthusamy (0 off 1). South Africa scored their first six on the third ball of the 17th over with wickets falling regularly. Ryan Rickelton reached his half-century after a laboured stay of 43 balls.

The penultimate over yielded 16 runs, the most South Africa scored in their innings before Dwarshuis took two wickets in the same over to finish things off. 

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