Australia v South Africa ODI LIVE: Head, Labuschagne fall early as Australia chase 297 runs to win
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Updated August 19, 2025 — 7.40pmfirst published at 2.05pm
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7.40pm
No hat-trick for Maharaj
The hat-trick ball is blocked by Aaron Hardie into the off side. All sorts of drama in this opening ODI.
A double wicket maiden! You don’t see that every day in a 50-over match.
Australia 5-75
7.37pm
Maharaj has 4-5 as Australia lose 5-15
Unbelievable scenes in Cairns!!
Josh Inglis is clean bowled by Maharaj. Straight through. Tried to play a back foot shot through cover and it goes horribly wrong. He’s out for five.
Next ball Carey is gone for a golden duck! Trapped in front to a ball that hits him on the toe.
Remarkable stuff from Maharaj. One of the great ODI spells as Australia lose 5-15.
7.27pm
Maharaj has another as Green departs
Wow.
Cam Green is bowled by Keshav Maharaj. It’s a ripper of a ball that turns just enough to go past the bat and clip the off stump. The fact Green nearly slipped over – and ended up with his hand on the ground – says it all. Bamboozled.
Green is gone for three and Australia are in major strife at 3-68. Spin to win!
7.20pm
Labuschagne gone for one as Australia 2-61
Maharaj strikes with his first ball!
Labuschagne is making his way back to the pavilion for just one off six balls.
The left-armer comes around the wicket and gets one to bite in the pitch and straighten. Trapped in front. Just missed it trying to play down the line of the ball.
It gets reviewed… but three reds and Australia’s No.3 has to go.
His lean run in international cricket continues.
7.15pm
Head stumped for 27 as Labuschagne comes to the crease
Spinner Prenelan Subrayen is doing a great job to peg things back for the Proteas after a fast start from the home side.
Subrayen entices Head out of his crease and he misses it completely. Kept low and didn’t spin as Rickelton takes a sharp stumping when it would have been easy to rise too quickly.
That’s the first time Head has been stumped in an ODI for nine years.
Australia 1-60 with Marsh 25 off 19 at the other end.
Welcome to the crease Marnus Labuschagne. This is his first hit in a match since the WTC final against South Africa in June.
7.05pm
Head hits five fours in an over
Wow.
Brutal hitting from Travis Head who thumps Nandre Burger for five fours in the over.
Down the ground. Over mid-wicket. Edged. Through the covers. Through point.
Epic batting from the left-hander as Australia race to 0-50 from five overs.
7.00pm
A great start for Australia
Mitch Marsh gets on the front stool and follows through. Wonderful shot over mid-off to a Lungi Ngidi slower ball that he doesn’t fall for.
At the other end, Head plays a similar shot for a boundary. His one nearly takes out the umpire.
Australia are going at more than seven runs an over. Lovely stuff.
6.53pm
Marsh cracks a boundary to get off the mark
Marsh gives himself three balls to look at – either side of a wild five wides from Lungi Ngidi – before belting a pull shot that almost goes for six. Gorgeous stroke.
Australia have begun with a bang. Given the way they accelerated early in the T20s, it could be much of the same tonight.
Interesting stat courtesy of the Fox broadcast … Ngidi has 2-15 off 26 balls when bowling to Head in ODIs.
Australia 0-24 from three overs
6.43pm
Head and Marsh are out in the middle
A quick break and we’re back under way in Cairns.
Head takes the first ball from Burger (great name … is it time for some Uber Eats?), a left-armer, and whacks it to mid-off.
The first runs of the evening session … go towards the cover-point region. Shock horror. Head is devastating with any width and cracks a boundary accordingly.
Australia 0-4 off one over
6.17pm
Who wins from here?
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