Australia smash 431/2, go on a rampage to break multiple batting records vs South Africa in 3rd ODI: Check all stats

Australia have put on the highest total on Australian soil in the history of ODI cricket, coming out with a vengeance in the third and final match of their series against South Africa to heap on 431/2 at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. It was an effort headlined by centuries from each of the top three batters, as the changed South African bowling couldn’t cope with the power-hitting on show. Travis Head celebrates his century vs South Africa in Mackay.(AFP)

Things began with a mammoth 250-run stand between openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, both of whom scored centuries as the Australians put the Proteas to the sword. Head in particular came out roaring after a disappointing series thus far across the T20Is and ODIs: the southpaw whacked 17 fours and five sixes enroute to 142 off just 103 deliveries, while his partner was more circumspect but still managed to score 100 off 106 deliveries.

Their 250-run opening stand is the highest partnership for the first wicket in any ODI against South Africa. Remarkably, this is the fifth time Australian openers have put on 250+, all in the last 8 years, and the third time Head has been involved in a 250+ opening stand.

Head's 142 is also the highest score by an Australian batter against South Africa while playing on home turf: only David Warner (173) and Ricky Ponting (164) have had better innings vs the Proteas, and both came in South Africa.

However, the real carnage was still to follow: Cameron Green was promoted up to number three ahead of Marnus Labuschagne, and scored the second-fastest century by an Australian player in the history of the format as he took only 47 deliveries to reach his ton. He ended on an unbeaten 118* off just 55 deliveries. Glenn Maxwell's 40-ball ton vs the Netherlands during the 2023 World Cup remains the Aussie record.

Green's century is also the fastest ODI century ever scored in Australia, outdoing Maxwell's 51-ball effort and AB de Villiers' 52-ball effort, both coming during the high-scoring 2015 World Cup.

This was just the second time in ODI history that each of the top three in an ODI innings went on to score a century, following in the footsteps of South Africa's historic innings at Johannesburg vs the West Indies in 2015, when AB de Villiers was promoted to 4 and scored a 44-ball 149.

This is also just the fifth time that three different batters have tonned up in an ODI innings, the first time by Australia. Interestingly, three of the five times this feat was accomplished by South Africa, most recently in their 2023 World Cup contest vs Sri Lanka in Delhi.

This performance pushed the hosts beyond the 400-mark and just three runs short of that magic 434 number which was made historic in an ODI contest between these very same teams 19 years ago. This is also therefore the second-highest total across all ODIs for the six-time World Cup champs.

Highest scores by Australia in ODI cricket:

434/4 vs SA, Johannesurg 2006

431/2 vs SA, Mackay 2025

417/6 vs AFG, Perth 2015

Green’s innings contained six boundaries and eight whopping maximums, while he was given able support by Alex Carey with a cameo from the other end. While the southpaw wicketkeeper didn’t hit any sixes, he added 50* off just 37 deliveries to ensure that the Aussies maintained the rate.

The bowler who copped the most damage for the Proteas was Wiaan Mulder, who was carted for 93 runs in just 7 overs of work.

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