The Wanderers Stadium witnessed another chapter in South Africa’s remarkable ODI supremacy over Australia as the Proteas clinched the series with a commanding 32-run victory on Sunday. Centuries from skipper Temba Bavuma and the sensational David Miller powered the hosts to a formidable 365/9, a total that proved just beyond Australia’s reach despite a spirited chase.

Miller’s career best demolition

Miller’s career-best 142(93) deliveries was nothing short of spectacular. The left-hander absolutely demolished the Australian attack, carting 12 fours and nine sixes. His partnership with Bavuma, who compiled a solid 103, yielded 156 runs off 135 balls and transformed South Africa’s innings from promising to dominant.

“It was an unbelievable performance by David,” Bavuma acknowledged at the post-match presentation. The captain’s own contribution shouldn’t be understated, his steady accumulation at the top provided the perfect platform for Miller’s pyrotechnics. “It was tricky batting upfront but we were able to handle that challenge,” the skipper added.

Six in a row against the Baggy Greens

This victory extended South Africa’s extraordinary run against their southern hemisphere rivals, marking their sixth consecutive ODI series triumph over Australia since 2016/17. The Baggy Greens simply cannot find an answer to the Proteas in the 50-over format, and Sunday’s defeat will sting particularly hard given how well-placed they seemed during the run chase.

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head blazed to 130 for the opening wicket inside 17 overs, both falling agonisingly short of centuries on 84. The Wanderers’ reputation for high-scoring thrillers suggested Australia were well on track, but the innings unravelled spectacularly once Marsh was cleaned up by Bjorn Fortuin.

Spin choke strangles Australia

South Africa’s spin trio of left-armers Keshav Maharaj and Fortuin, alongside off-spinner Aiden Markram, bowled their full allocation of ten overs each and strangled Australia through the middle overs. It’s become a familiar pattern in this series, the Aussies flying out of the blocks before getting bogged down when the slower bowlers come on.

“We haven’t been able to execute in those middle phases, which is a great learning curve for some of our younger guys,” admitted Australian skipper Marsh. “But credit to South Africa, who bowled well in those phases.”

Xavier Bartlett’s blistering 50(28) balls provided late fireworks, but by then the equation had spiralled beyond Australia’s control. They were eventually dismissed for 333, falling 32 runs short of their target.

Pink day adds emotional significance

The match carried added significance as South Africa’s designated “pink day”, with players donning pink kits to raise awareness for breast cancer. Instead of their own names, the squad wore the names of cancer survivors on their backs. For Miller, this made his heroics even more poignant, he carried the name of his mother, Jenny, who has battled the disease.

“She’s been through a lot and it was nice to represent my mom and everything she’s been through,” the 37-year-old said. This was his eighth ODI century and his fourth against Australia.

“They bring out the best in the guys,” Miller said of facing Australia. “It’s good to compete against the best in the world.”

For South Africa, the middle-order maestro’s ability to produce match-winning performances on the biggest occasions continues to be invaluable. His partnership with Bavuma shifted the momentum decisively, taking the score from a competitive position to one that put Australia under immense pressure..

The Proteas’ bowling unit then held their nerve superbly. “The bowlers did well,” Bavuma noted. “They held their nerve, we knew they would put us under pressure.”

With the series already wrapped up, attention now turns to the final match where South Africa will aim for a clean sweep. For Australia, the soul-searching continues as they attempt to solve a puzzle that has confounded them for nearly a decade. Their struggles against spin in the middle overs have become a glaring weakness, one that quality opposition sides like South Africa ruthlessly exploit.

The Wanderers lived up to its reputation as a batting paradise, but it was South Africa who capitalised most effectively. In Miller and Bavuma, they possessed the game’s two most influential batsmen. In their spinners, they had the tools to control Australia’s chase. And in their recent history against these opponents, they had the confidence to execute under pressure.