SA vs AUS 3rd ODI 2026: Australia Win by 45 Runs (DLS)
Aiden Markram won South Africa’s first toss of the series and bowled. Australia’s openers, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, then added 78 in 53 balls. The outfield was sodden after overnight storms and the start was delayed. Marsh reached fifty off 33 balls, his third successive ODI half-century. Head was bowled by Corbin Bosch, and Marsh fell lbw sweeping at Bjorn Fortuin in the 14th over. Cooper Connolly was bowled by Gerald Coetzee at 118 for 3.
Alex Carey made sure the start was not wasted. He added 73 with Oliver Peake and 66 with Matt Renshaw. Peake’s 48 came after Coetzee tested him with short balls, and Fortuin caught him at point off Bosch. Carey started slowly but finished with 74 off 88, his first ODI fifty in more than a year. Australia lost five wickets for 73 runs in the last ten overs. Bosch took four of them, including Carey and Cameron Green, for 4 for 60. Green had been hit by a full toss and then hooked a bouncer to the keeper. He did not take the field afterwards.
South Africa needed 323 and lost their top order early. Xavier Bartlett had Quinton de Kock caught at slip-side by Mitchell Starc for a duck in the second over. He then trapped Markram lbw for 15. Tony de Zorzi did not bat, so Bosch moved up to No. 6. Ryan Rickelton and Matthew Breetzke steadied the chase with 72 in 73 balls.
Adam Zampa broke it. He had Breetzke stumped by Carey at 102 for 3, then won an lbw against Tristan Stubbs at 125 for 4. Zampa had gone wicketless for 77 runs in the previous game. The required rate climbed to nearly eight an over, and Pat Cummins, playing his first ODI in two years, was in the middle of his second spell. Rain arrived in the 28th over. South Africa were 145 for 4, with Rickelton on 71 not out and Bosch on 13. The DLS target was 191, and they were 45 short.
Carey was named Player of the Match. South Africa had already clinched the series with wins by 67 and 32 runs, and this result made it 2-1. The match also left injury questions for both sides: Renshaw took a blow to the wrist in the field, and de Zorzi was hurt. The Test series is next.
Match Details
| Match | South Africa vs Australia, 3rd ODI (D/N) |
| Series | Australia tour of South Africa 2026 (3-match ODI series, South Africa won 2-1) |
| Venue | JB Marks Oval (Senwes Park), Potchefstroom |
| Date | 30 September 2026 |
| Toss | South Africa won, chose to field |
| Result | Australia won by 45 runs (DLS method) |
| Player of the Match | Alex Carey (Australia), 74 off 88 |
Playing XIs
| South Africa | Australia |
|---|---|
| Aiden Markram (c) | Mitchell Marsh (c) |
| Quinton de Kock (wk) | Travis Head |
| Tony de Zorzi | Cooper Connolly |
| Matthew Breetzke | Oliver Peake |
| Ryan Rickelton | Alex Carey (wk) |
| Tristan Stubbs | Matt Renshaw |
| Corbin Bosch | Cameron Green |
| Bjorn Fortuin | Xavier Bartlett |
| Gerald Coetzee | Pat Cummins |
| Nqobani Mokoena | Mitchell Starc |
| Lizaad Williams | Adam Zampa |
Full Scorecards
Australia innings: 322/9 (50 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Marsh (c) | lbw b Fortuin | 56 | 42 | 8 | 2 | 133.33 |
| Travis Head | b Bosch | 24 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 120.00 |
| Cooper Connolly | b Coetzee | 23 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 69.69 |
| Oliver Peake | c Fortuin b Bosch | 48 | 53 | 4 | 1 | 90.56 |
| Alex Carey (wk) | c Williams b Bosch | 74 | 88 | 4 | 2 | 84.09 |
| Matt Renshaw | c Markram b Coetzee | 30 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 103.44 |
| Cameron Green | c de Kock b Bosch | 23 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 127.77 |
| Xavier Bartlett | b Williams | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Pat Cummins | c Breetzke b Williams | 11 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 183.33 |
| Mitchell Starc | not out | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 157.14 |
| Adam Zampa | not out | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Extras: 20 (b 1, lb 8, w 9, nb 2). Total: 322/9 (50 ov, RR 6.44).
Fall of wickets: 1-78 (Head, 8.4), 2-94 (Marsh, 13.1), 3-118 (Connolly, 17.1), 4-191 (Peake, 31.1), 5-257 (Renshaw, 41.3), 6-285 (Carey, 45.5), 7-288 (Bartlett, 46.4), 8-298 (Green, 47.4), 9-314 (Cummins, 48.5).
| South Africa bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Coetzee | 9 | 1 | 61 | 2 | 6.77 |
| Lizaad Williams | 6 | 0 | 48 | 2 | 8.00 |
| Corbin Bosch | 9 | 1 | 60 | 4 | 6.66 |
| Bjorn Fortuin | 9 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 5.55 |
| Nqobani Mokoena | 7 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 6.00 |
| Aiden Markram | 8 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 5.25 |
| Tristan Stubbs | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5.00 |
South Africa innings: 145/4 (28 overs; DLS target 191)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiden Markram (c) | lbw b Bartlett | 15 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 93.75 |
| Quinton de Kock (wk) | c Starc b Bartlett | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ryan Rickelton | not out | 71 | 81 | 5 | 2 | 87.65 |
| Matthew Breetzke | st Carey b Zampa | 25 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 86.21 |
| Tristan Stubbs | lbw b Zampa | 14 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 82.35 |
| Corbin Bosch | not out | 13 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 65.00 |
Did not bat: Tony de Zorzi, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Nqobani Mokoena, Lizaad Williams.
Extras: 7 (lb 4, w 3). Total: 145/4 (28 ov, RR 5.18).
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (de Kock, 1.5), 2-30 (Markram, 5.5), 3-102 (Breetzke, 18.0), 4-125 (Stubbs, 22.0).
| Australia bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Starc | 6 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 5.50 |
| Xavier Bartlett | 5 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Pat Cummins | 5 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3.40 |
| Cooper Connolly | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 4.33 |
| Matt Renshaw | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 |
| Adam Zampa | 6 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 5.67 |
| Oliver Peake | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5.50 |
Final Scorecard
| Team | Score | Overs |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 322/9 | 50.0 |
| South Africa | 145/4 (target 191, DLS) | 28.0 |
| Result | Australia won by 45 runs (DLS method) |
What’s Next
The ODI series is over, so the tour moves to Tests.
- Warm-up match: 3-4 October, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
- 1st Test: 9-13 October, Kingsmead, Durban
- 2nd Test: 18-22 October, St George’s Park, Gqeberha
- 3rd Test: 27-31 October, Newlands, Cape Town
FAQs
Who won the 3rd ODI between South Africa and Australia?
Australia won by 45 runs on the DLS method after rain stopped play in South Africa’s chase.
What was the final score?
Australia made 322/9 in 50 overs. South Africa were 145/4 in 28 overs, against a DLS target of 191.
Who was Player of the Match?
Alex Carey, for his 74 off 88 balls.
Who was the top run-scorer and wicket-taker?
Carey top-scored for Australia with 74, and Ryan Rickelton made 71 not out for South Africa. Corbin Bosch was the best bowler with 4/60.