Australia beat South Africa in the very first T20I match by 17 runs in a close encounter, leading by 1-0. The match itself was a special one since it was held at Darwin’s Marrara Stadium, which had hosted an international cricket match for the first time in 17 years.
[MATCH HIGHLIGHTS] Australia Leads the Series 1-0
In the first T20I match, South Africa won the toss and opted to field first, but the decision immediately backfired on them as Australia’s batter Mitchell Marsh hit a six in the very first over.
Despite starting well, Australian batters fumbled later in the innings and lost 6 wickets in the 8th over. However, the crucial and significant innings of Tim David helped Australia get some runs on the board.
Coming in the middle order, his partnership with Den Dwarshuis, who scored 13 runs collectively, added 59 runs to their innings total.
Tim David went on to score 83 runs off 52 balls; all thanks to South Africa’s fielders, as they dropped him on 56 runs. Australia scored 178 runs at the loss of 10 wickets.
In the second innings, South Africa had a big total ahead, and the top order batters started struggling. However, the opener, Rickelton, fought really well and added 71 runs off 55 balls in the crucial chase, but was later dismissed by Glenn Maxwell. Other than Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs scored 37 runs off 27 balls but was fantastically dismissed by Hazlewood.
South Africa’s middle order batters were completely dominated by Australian bowlers. Josh Hazlewood picked 3 wickets by giving away 26 runs, while Ben Dwarshuis also picked 3 wickets by giving away 26 runs.
The match was alive till the final over until Rickelton was caught by Glenn Maxwell, leading South Africa to fall short of 17 runs.
MATCH RESULT
What a rollercoaster! Brilliant fielding, phenomenal batting, and fierce bowling were on display.
Australia took the win in this thrilling opening T20I clash by 17 runs!
#WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/NLbGFZYNUp
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 10, 2025
[PREDICTION] What’s Next in the Series?
Following the blockbuster match between Australia and South Africa, the second T20I match will be played on August 12, 2025, at Darwin.
With the famous victory over South Africa, Australia seemed to be confident going into the second T20I match, on the other hand, the Proteas were looking to seal a victory in the second match and level the series 1-1.
Similarly, the player of the match, Tim David, will still be a player to look forward to as he has been in insane form in the past couple of years.
With the T20I World Cup in the corner, Tim David’s presence in the T20I matches will be crucial as he could be a key player, helping the team get out of a trouble situation.
Similarly, the fans around the world reacted to the thriller between Australia and South Africa. One of the fans wrote,
What a game! Australia bringing the heat early—that fielding was next level. Shoutout to @CameronX664 for calling the tight finish. Can’t wait for the next one! #WozaNawe
— Joyce Flores (@JoyceFlore1628) August 10, 2025
“What a game! Australia is bringing the heat early—that fielding was next level. Shoutout to
@CameronX664 for calling the tight finish. Can’t wait for the next one! #WozaNawe.”
Similarly, another user wrote,
Good results, well done Australia
. Beat them until they broadcast their games at SABC, we can’t have a national team plays and only rich people watch the game. Proteas must lose all games until they respect poor people in the country
— G.M. Tsikoo (@MulaudziTsikoo) August 10, 2025
“Good results, well done Australia . Beat them until they broadcast their games at SABC, we can’t have a national team play, and only rich people watch the game. Proteas must lose all games until they respect poor people in the country.”
The other similar statements from the fans were:
Writer’s Take on Australia Winning the Thriller
From the writer’s point of view, the match between Australia and South Africa certainly brought back the old T20I matches vibe with the incredible performance of batters and bowlers from both teams. Australia beating South Africa is itself a significant one, as they recently lost the World Test Championship final in the most embarrassing way.
I am looking forward to the second T20I match as the Proteas will be looking for revenge and level the series at 1-1.
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