Mitchell Marsh’s Australian team commenced the three-match T20I series at home against South Africa in some style when they posted an 18-run victory in the first T20I on Sunday in Darwin. Tim David’s 83-run innings combined with Josh Hazlewood’s three-wicket haul assisted the hosts to achieve a comfortable win to reach 1-0 in the series. With this victory, Australia posted their ninth consecutive win in the shortest format of the game.
Record-Breaking Winning Streak for Australia
This is Australia’s record longest sequence of victories in T20Is. Yet, Afghanistan and India are still leading them in the list of most consecutive T20I wins by a full member country. Both India and Afghanistan had achieved 12 consecutive T20I wins. But the greatest sequence of T20I victories belongs to Uganda as they had won 17 consecutive games.
Previously, New Zealand and Pakistan also set a winning streak of nine successive matches. England’s highest winning streak spans eight T20Is, on the contrary.
Form and Momentum Heading into the Series
Australia went into the three-match South Africa series following a 5-0 victory over the West Indies in the Caribbean. The Proteas were seen to provide Australia with a stiff challenge. The hosts, however, did not need any time to brush the challenge aside in the first match of the series.
The win over the Proteas was also Australia’s sixth consecutive victory over South Africa in T20Is.
Marsh Praises Execution and Aggressive Play
Speaking about the ninth victory on the bounce, Mitchell Marsh at the post-match presentation said, “I didn’t know that till you said it at the toss. You see that across teams in T20 cricket, they keep going and going. It is more about backing your execution than letting the game dictate.”
“There are times when conditions will need you to bat through, but we certainly want guys like David to come out and bat the way he did; he was the difference. It was an outstanding effort from all our bowlers to keep us in the game and win it in the end,” he added.
Key Partnerships and Standout Performances
Australia were faltering at 75/6 at some point during the first T20I. However, Tim David received help in his form from Ben Dwarshius, and the two added 59 runs together for the seventh wicket. Tim David walked off to the hut after reaching 83 runs.
Josh Hazlewood was next the man of the moment with the ball in hand as he came back with three wickets. Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton attempted to bestow their all to assist South Africa in mounting a comeback but to no avail.
Australia and South Africa will next meet each other in the second T20I on Tuesday at the same ground.
