Australia succumbed to another trial via spin, throwing away a good start from their opening batters, to hand SA a 32-run victory and another series win at the Wanderers on Sunday.
At this rate, SA will seriously consider preparing “dustbowls” for the Test series that starts in two weeks.
As was the case at Kingsmead, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head got their side off to a flying start in pursuit of a handsome target of 366.
Hundreds from Proteas captain Temba Bavuma and an under pressure David Miller propelled the home team — clad in special pink kit to raise awareness about breast cancer — to its third-highest total against Australia in ODIs.
Marsh and Head shared a first-wicket partnership of 130 off 102 balls, which had their side comfortably ahead of the required run rate.
Even the initial overs from Keshav Maharaj and Bjorn Fortuin did not yield success, but once Fortuin had breached Marsh’s defence, SA got a foothold.
Some sloppy moments in the field aside — which included three dropped catches, two by Quinton de Kock — the Proteas were able to build pressure, with returning Aiden Markram, who had been dismissed with the first ball of the match, adding to SA’s spin quota.
The 18 overs from the 24th to the 42nd in the Australian innings saw the tourists score 82 runs for the loss of four wickets.
The momentum established by Marsh, who blasted 84 off 53 balls and Head, who made the same score but off 76 deliveries, vanished.
The Proteas name their Test squad on Monday morning, and it is sure to include both Maharaj and Simon Harmer, who will be licking their lips at the prospect of bowling to an Australian batting lineup that looks devoid of strategy against spin.
Markram, Maharaj and Fortuin shared five wickets and conceded 179 runs in 30 overs, and until tail-ender Xavier Bartlett began blasting the ball to all parts at the end, Australia had looked all at sea.
SA’s innings was dominated by two knocks — by players who are always being questioned about their places in the side.
Bavuma certainly does not need to justify his spot — his position as captain provides wiggle-room, but so does his overall record.
Miller competes for his middle-order spot, but an innings like Sunday’s — a career-best 142 — will certainly help his World Cup case.
The value of experience was apparent.
Bavuma entered the arena to face the second ball, after Markram’s return was made brief by an excellent one-handed catch in the covers by Cooper Connolly.
He showed the necessary patience in the early stages, but did not let any bad balls pass him by, exemplified by the six he pulled off Josh Hazlewood.
A 57-run partnership with Matthew Breetzke provided stability.
Breetzke’s innings of 34 was the first time he had failed to make at least 50 against Australia, and also gave Jake Edwards, who made his debut in Durban, his maiden ODI wicket.
Miller then gave the innings impetus, relieving some of the stress on Bavuma.
Miller’s striking was pure, and pressure was applied on both spinners and seamers alike during a fourth-wicket partnership worth 156 which came off 132 balls.
The bulk of that scoring came against Australia’s spinners, who Marsh was forced to employ for more overs than he would have wanted after Nathan Ellis, who bowled only four overs, was forced off the field with a side strain.
In total, Australia bowled 16 overs of spin, conceding 133 runs.
Their frontline tweaker, Adam Zampa went for 77 runs in nine overs. Unlike SA’s, the touring team’s spinners went wicketless.
Bavuma celebrated his first ODI century in three years and his sixth overall, before being dismissed four balls later for 103, which included 10 fours and two sixes.
Miller’s fourth hundred against Australia, saw him surpass his previous best score of 139, which he made in Hobart eight years ago.
Some late thumping from the Jansen twins — the first time a pair of twins had played an international match for SA — pushed the Proteas total beyond 350 — with Duan, playing his third match, ending the innings with a sweetly struck straight drive.
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