Australia started brilliantly with Tim David and Mitch Marsh bruising the Proteas bowling. South Africa showed all the signs of having a long off-season and picked up a big loss in the opener.
South Africa vs Australia | First T20I | Friday 1 September 2023 | Hollywoodbets Kingsmead, Durban | 18:00
South Africa 31/20 | Tie 25/1 | Australia 52/100
South Africa started well enough with the ball but all around rust was evident and they need to sharpen up.
A lack of experience in the middle order cost South Africa dearly in the series opener.
Young Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis weren’t able to spend any great time at the crease and they left the tail exposed.
Lizaad Williams and Gerald Coetzee bowled well in patches but again the lack of consistency caused problems for the Proteas.
Some good catches don’t take away from the fact that the Proteas were well off the pace in almost every regard.
Australia showed they can rally from the early loss of wickets and that they bat a lot deeper than South Africa.
Tim David turned the tide of the game with some of the crispest hitting Hollywoodbets Kingsmead has ever seen.
Skipper Mitch Marsh was the standout although he was disappointed to fall short of what would have been a well-deserved hundred.
The excellent wicket at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead is a great sign for the curation team at the ground but it also bodes well for Australia who appear to have the better batting unit.
Verdict: Australia
Australia have the edge at the moment.
