South Africa suffered their heaviest defeat in ODI history as Australia thrashed them by 276 runs in the third match at Mecca.
Chasing a mammoth 432, the Proteas batting collapsed to just 155 all out. Dewald Brevis was the only standout with a quick 49 off 28 balls, hitting five sixes and two fours. Tony de Zorzi made 33, while skipper Temba Bavuma scored 19. None of the other batters managed to put up resistance.
Australia’s 20-year-old Cooper Connolly stole the show with the ball, taking five wickets to become the youngest Australian to claim a five-wicket haul in ODIs. Xavier Bartlett and Sean Abbott picked up two each, while Adam Zampa grabbed one.
Earlier, Australia piled up 431 after winning the toss. Openers Travis Head (142) and captain Mitchell Marsh (100) set the tone with a 250-run stand. Cameron Green then lit up the innings with a blistering 118* from just 55 balls, smashing eight sixes and six fours. His hundred came off only 47 deliveries — the second-fastest ODI century by an Australian. Alex Carey added an unbeaten 50.
This was only the second time in ODI history that the top three batters of a team scored centuries in the same innings, and the fifth overall occasion when three hundreds were scored in a single ODI innings.
