Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh stitched a record-breaking 250-run stand before Cameron Green’s whirlwind century lit up Mackay in the third ODI.
Mackay [Australia], August 24: Australia finally found its batting rhythm on Sunday in the third and final ODI against South Africa, with the opening pair of Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh scripting history. The duo combined for a mammoth 250-run opening stand, just 34 runs short of Australia’s all-time highest opening partnership.
This partnership now ranks as the fifth-highest opening stand for Australia in ODI history, and notably, the first one without veteran David Warner. For context, Warner and Head had once set a 284-run opening stand against Pakistan in Adelaide back in 2017.
Head was the aggressor, hammering 142 off 103 balls, decorated with power strokes all over the park. His captain, Mitchell Marsh, played a steady yet commanding knock of 100 off 106 balls. During this knock, Head reached 8000 international runs, while Marsh crossed the 3000-run milestone in ODIs, adding to the sense of occasion.
But the fireworks didn’t stop there. After the departure of the openers, Cameron Green unleashed pure carnage. The all-rounder raced to the second-fastest ODI hundred for Australia, bringing it up in just 47 balls — only behind Glenn Maxwell’s famous 40-ball ton in the 2023 World Cup. Green remained unbeaten, smashing 118 runs off just 55 deliveries, including six fours and eight towering sixes.
Green, along with wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey, who provided calm support, stitched a massive 164-run unbeaten stand that propelled Australia to a jaw-dropping 431/2 — their second-highest ODI total in history.
With South Africa already leading the three-match series 2-0, the Proteas will need an extraordinary batting effort to deny Australia a consolation win and secure a historic clean sweep.