Australia beat South Africa by 45 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in a rain-shortened third and final one-day international on Wednesday at Potchefstroom, avoiding a series whitewash even though the Proteas had already sealed the three-match series. The day-night fixture was reduced by weather in the closing stages of South Africa's chase, with the tourists closing out the win to finish the tour on a positive note.
What happened in the series finale
Australia posted 322/9 off their 50 overs after being sent in, before South Africa's reply was reduced to a revised target when rain arrived. South Africa's chase never completely disappeared, largely because Ryan Rickelton remained unbeaten on 71, but the hosts lost Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram early and were still only 145/4 after 28 overs when rain made further play impossible.
At that point, the DLS par score was 190. With South Africa well short of the target on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, umpires eventually called off the match, confirming the 45-run win for the tourists.
Marsh and Carey lead Australia's total
Half-centuries from the rejuvenated Carey (74 off 88 balls) and captain Mitch Marsh (56 off 42 balls), plus 48 from Ollie Peake, helped propel Australia to 9-322 after they had been put in. Marsh scored his third consecutive 50 of the series off 33 balls in just the eighth over.
Marsh's ultra-aggressive approach in the powerplay led to his 56 and provided Australia with another brisk start of 78, while opening partner Travis Head scored a better than run-a-ball 24. Carey and Oliver Peake then consolidated with a 73-run fourth-wicket stand. On the bowling side, Corbin Bosch dragged South Africa back in the death overs with the wickets of Carey and Cameron Green, ending up with 4-60, while Gerald Coetzee and Lizaad Williams picked up two wickets each.
How South Africa's chase unravelled
Quinton de Kock, who scored 14 and 15 in his last two innings, fell for a five-ball duck early, and stand-in captain Aiden Markram, who had won the toss and elected to field, was out lbw for 15 as South Africa slipped to 30-2, before Ryan Rickelton and Matthew Breetzke put on 72 for the third wicket.
Adam Zampa troubled the batters with his sharp leg-spin and googlies throughout the innings, striking in the 18th over when Carey carried out a smart stumping to remove Breetzke, before Tristan Stubbs perished for 14 when he misread a googly and was out lbw. The Australian bowlers kept pressing and allowed Rickelton and Bosch to add only 20 runs in six overs before the rain arrived.
South Africa still wins the series
Despite the consolation defeat, the 45-run win for Australia meant they lost the three-match series 2-1. South Africa had already wrapped up the series with a 67-run win in the series opener in Durban and a 32-run victory in the second match in Johannesburg before travelling to Potchefstroom for the dead rubber.
South African captain Temba Bavuma missed the finale, with Markram deputizing and choosing to bowl first under overcast skies that eventually brought the rain which decided the contest.
Cummins' return and what comes next
Pat Cummins's encouraging comeback, alongside the return to form of Adam Zampa and Alex Carey, inspired Australia to the rain-interrupted win, with Cummins returning as bowler only rather than as captain while Marsh kept the job for the finale, his display suggesting he'll be in fine shape to lead his side in the first Test.
The white-ball tour now gives way to the longer format. The first of three Test matches between Australia and South Africa begins on October 9 in Durban. Cummins is expected to resume the Test captaincy for that series, with his bowling workload in Potchefstroom seen as a key indicator ahead of the red-ball assignment.
For Australia, the win offers some momentum after a difficult start to the tour, even if it came too late to alter the ODI series outcome. For South Africa, the series victory continues a strong run of white-ball results on home soil, with attention now turning to how the squad transitions into the Test arena against the same opponent.