David, Hazlewood combine for Australia's 9th straight T20I win

Tim David batted around top-order wreckage, smashing eight sixes in his whirlwind knock that pushed Australia to a winning total of 178 in the T20I series opener against South Africa in Darwin. The impressive 19-year-old pacer Kwena Maphaka's 4-20 was then eclipsed by Josh Hazlewood, as South Africa fell short in chase. This was Australia's record ninth straight win - their longest winning streak in T20Is, surpassing eight wins between February 2024 and June 2024.

Mitchell Marsh kickstarted the Aussie summer with a six over extra cover off Lungi Ngidi. That paved the way for a chaotic PowerPlay where Australia lost four wickets while hitting 71 runs. Kagiso Rabada didn't let the Aussie opening pair of Marsh and Travis Head blossom beyond the second over as he dismissed the latter for just two. George Linde then saw the back of Josh Inglis for a first-ball duck. Marsh was gone by the start of the fourth over too but Tim David and Cameron Green swung for the hills when the restriction was still on. Green started off with two fours and a six against Linde in the third over and David smashed Rabada - including a disdainful six down the ground. The pair went after Corbin Bosch in an 18-over over before Green lived and died by the sword against Ngidi in the sixth over. He fell for a 13-ball 35.

The young and strapping Kwena Maphaka struck in his first over in the middle-phase to dent Australia further, as they dropped to 73/5. That became 75/6 in the eighth over when Glenn Maxwell holed out to sweeper cover against Senuran Muthusamy. The wreckage did not perturb David in his endeavours to repeatedly send the ball to the stands. He and Ben Dwarshuis took the team to 88/6 at the halfway stage. This pair batted for seven overs to add 59 runs, of which Dwarshuis scored just 17. During this stand, David deposited a ball from Muthusamy on the roof to take Australia past the 100-run mark in the 12th and also got to his seventh T20I half-century.

Maphaka returned in the 15th over to break the stand with Dwarshuis's wicket, and Muthusamy nearly ended David's stay too, but Stubbs fluffed a catch. David punished South Africa for their missteps at the death by carting sixes. Rabada thought he finally stopped David in his tracks, only for a no-ball to be adjudged on a catch in the deep. Not for the first time though, Maphaka returned to strike, getting David caught in the deep for an exceptional 52-ball 83. In the same over, Maphaka dismissed Adam Zampa to finish with figures of 4 for 20 in 4 overs. A 12-run final over pushed Australia to 178, which proved sufficient on the evening.

South Africa made a false start when Aiden Markram drove Josh Hazlewood on the up, but straight to Green at cover in the first over after already started out with three fours. South Africa too threw caution to the winds in the PowerPlay as Lhuan Dre-Pretorius and Ryan Rickelton eyed quick boundaries. But the former was sent packing in fifth over before Dewald Brewis was taken out by Dwarshuis in the sixth over. South Africa had an inferior PowerPlay total of 48/3 but were offered a facelift by the fourth-wicket alliance between Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs. Australia attempted to squeeze the chase with spin through the middle as this pair dragged the visitors to 78/3 in 10 overs, still needing 101 in the second half. From 85/3 in 11 overs, Stubbs attempted to narrow the equation and put some pressure back on Australia in the process. He hit Nathan Ellis for two fours, and then took on Zampa, with Rickelton taking runs off Maxwell between those two overs.

With 60 needed off 36, Mitchell Marsh brought back Hazlewood, whose double-wicket over squarely put the control back in the home team's favour. Hazlewood ended Stubbs's fight and dismissed George Linde, which was followed by Zampa following suit and picking two wickets in his six deliveries. The leggie got rid of Corbin Bosch and Muthusamy to leave South Africa down to 123/7 in 16 overs and the equation at: 56 runs off 24 balls.

Yet, Australia were kept on their toes by Rickelton, who got to his fifty, and refused to give up. He messed with Ellis's lengths in the penultimate over where 16 runs were taken to bring the chase down to 21 off 6. Dwarshuis started with a well-disguised slower ball for a dot and then Maxwell showed off his boundary line theatrics to dismiss Rickelton and effectively bring down the curtains on the chase. Dwarshuis picked his third wicket of the evening - cleaning up Rabada - on the last ball to secure the 17-run win.

Brief Scores: Australia 178 in 20 overs (Tim David 83, Cameron Green 35; Kwena Maphaka 4-20) beat South Africa 161/9 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 71; Josh Hazlewood 3-26, Adam Zampa 2-33) by 17 runs