Match overview
Australia beat South Africa by 276 runs in the ODI at Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay on 24 August 2025. Batting first after winning the toss, Australia posted 431/2 from 50 overs, a total built on three separate centuries: TM Head scoring 142 off 103 balls, MR Marsh adding 100 off 106, and C Green finishing unbeaten on 118 off 55. In reply, South Africa lost 4 wickets inside the powerplay for 65 runs and were eventually bowled out for 155. C Connolly took 5/22 from 6 overs to complete the rout. The result was effectively beyond doubt before the 20-over mark of the South African chase.
The margin of 276 runs is a significant statement in a series that, entering this match, had leaned South Africa's way. Three of the five previous meetings in 2025 had gone to South Africa, and their last visit to this venue had produced an 84-run win. Australia reversed that trend in the most emphatic fashion possible.
For context on the innings: Australia's 431/2 stands well above this venue's average first-innings score of 354 across its two recorded ODIs. The powerplay alone yielded 86 runs without loss, laying the groundwork for what followed.
Venue and conditions
Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay has a limited ODI sample size of just two matches, which means venue-based patterns carry less statistical weight than at more established grounds. The average first-innings score across those two games is 354, and the average second-innings score is 174. Neither game has been won by the chasing side: the chase success rate sits at 0% from two attempts.
Australia's powerplay average at this venue is cited at 62 runs, a figure they comfortably surpassed with 86. The death-overs average is 43 runs; Australia accumulated 126 in that phase at no wicket cost, largely through Green's extraordinary acceleration. For South Africa, the powerplay proved catastrophic. They managed 65 runs but at the cost of 4 wickets, which represents significant underperformance against the pressure a 432-run chase demands.
Conditions in Mackay in August are typically dry with low humidity, which tends to offer some assistance to seamers early before the pitch flattens. The absence of dew in daytime games reduces the advantage for the team batting second that is often seen in evening fixtures at other venues.
How to watch
Australia vs South Africa ODIs are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, available to existing Sky Sports subscribers or via a NOW TV streaming day pass. Given the time difference between the UK and Queensland, matches starting in the afternoon local time in Mackay typically kick off in the early hours of the morning in the UK. Checking the Sky Sports schedule in advance is advisable for anyone planning to watch live.
Highlights and clips from ICC-sanctioned series are often available on the ICC's own digital platforms and through Sky Sports' on-demand service for subscribers who miss the live broadcast.
Recent form
Australia arrived at this fixture having won two and lost three of their five most recent matches, all against South Africa in 2025. That sequence included a narrow 2-wicket win and a 17-run win, but also defeats by 84 runs, 98 runs, and 53 runs. The 84-run loss came at this very venue, which makes the reversal here all the more striking.
South Africa's recent form shows the mirror image: three wins and two losses in the same five-game run. Their batting had produced some strong individual performances across the series, with MP Breetzke scoring 88 off 78 balls in the preceding match on 22 August. The collapse to 155 all out here, then, represents a significant regression rather than a reflection of their ceiling in this format. How the two sides respond in any remaining fixtures will determine whether this match is remembered as a turning point or an outlier.
