Cricket: Matthew Breetzke's century gives the Proteas a 67-run lead over Australia
South Africa defeated Australia by 67 runs on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at Kingsmead (Durban) in the first of three matches in their one-day cricket series. The Proteas lead 1-0 ahead of the second encounter, scheduled for September 27 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
112 runs from Breetzke, 75 from Jansen
Sent in to bat after losing the toss, South Africa built their total around two men. Matthew Breetzke scored 112 runs off 106 balls, including 14 fours and 2 sixes, a performance that earned him the man of the match award, according to SuperSport. Marco Jansen added 75 runs in just 59 balls, including 4 sixes: their partnership for the sixth wicket yielded 107 runs off 81 balls. The final tally: 297 runs for 8 wickets. For Australia, Nathan Ellis took 3 wickets for 57 runs and Adam Zampa 2 for 50.
The Australian collapse
The Australian response initially looked like a demonstration of power. Captain Mitch Marsh hit 60 runs off 36 balls (5 fours, 6 sixes) and his team had posted 90 runs by the tenth over, reports SuperSport. Then everything changed: the visitors lost their last nine wickets for 101 runs and were bowled out for 230, despite 44 runs from Matt Renshaw.
The South African spin bowlers made the difference. Keshav Maharaj finished with 4 wickets for 20 runs in 9.2 overs, supported by Bjorn Fortuin (2 wickets for 34 runs). SuperSport highlighted some reckless shot selection from the Australians during the middle overs.
A symbol on Heritage Day
The match was played on September 24, Heritage Day in South Africa, the national holiday dedicated to the country's cultural diversity. Beating the reigning world champions in the sport on that day was not lost on the Kingsmead crowd.
The series has significance beyond the immediate result: South Africa is preparing for a one-day cricket World Cup that it is set to co-host in 2027 with Zimbabwe and Namibia, the first major global event in the sport entrusted to Southern Africa since 2003. Every test against the top nations serves as a dress rehearsal.
After Johannesburg on September 27, the series will conclude on September 30 in Potchefstroom, according to Yahoo Sports.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
