Australia's 3 most dominating series wins over South Africa
A dominant Australia won the final match of their T20I series against South Africa on Sunday, September 3. They chased down 191 runs to win the game and sweep the series 3-0. Travis Head starred with the bat as he powered the chase with a superb 91 runs off just 48 balls.
Australia raced towards the target in only 17.5 overs with five wickets still in hand. Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis too chipped in with crucial innings as the visitors dominated the hosts.
Mitchell Marsh had a remarkable start to his captaincy career. He not only led his team to victory in his first series as captain but also bagged the Player of the Series award for scoring 186 runs in three matches.
Here we take a look at Australia's three most dominating series wins over South Africa:
#3 Australia in South Africa ODI Series 2001/02
One of the most dominant sides to ever play the game, Australia were an absolute juggernaut in the early to mid-2000s. After their triumph in the 1999 World Cup, their ODI side was one of the most feared in world cricket.
They toured South Africa for an ODI series in 2001-02 and showed why they were a ruthless unit. They started the seven-match ODI series with a close win by 19 runs. However, they soon got their act together and won the second match by a comprehensive margin of 45 runs.
Remarkably, the third match of this series ended in a tie as both teams managed 259 runs. The Australian team then bounced back and won the fourth match by 37 runs and the fifth match by eight wickets. They clinched the series after continuing the dominance with another win in the sixth match by three wickets.
South Africa managed to get one back with a win in the final match, but they were completely dominated by Australia right through, losing the series 4-1.
#2 South Africa in Australia Test Series 2001/02
During the 2001-02 cricket season, South Africa toured Australia and played a three-Test series against the hosts on top of the VB Series that also included New Zealand.
Australia had always been a ruthless side in home conditions and they started the series with an emphatic 246-run win in the first Test match at the Adelaide Oval. Shane Warne was the star with a match-winning spell in the first innings.
This lay down the marker for the rest of the series. Matthew Hayden then led Australia’s charge in the second match with a superb 138 as Australia pulled well ahead of South Africa in the first innings.
Shane Warne stepped up once again with a three-wicket haul in the second innings and the hosts had to chase down just 10 runs to win the match which they did with nine wickets to spare.
South Africa were a deflated unit by the time the third Test started in Sydney. Batting first, Australia piled up 554 and then bowled out South Africa for 154. This was where the game was decided and despite putting up a good fight in the second innings, Australia won the match by 10 wickets to clinch the series 3-0.
#1 Australia in South Africa Test Series 2005/06
Australia toured South Africa for a three-match Test series in the 2005–06 season. While the side faced disappointment in the limited overs format, they were quite dominant with the red ball.
On a spicy Newlands pitch in the first Test, South Africa won the toss and elected to bat. However, they were knocked over for 205. Australia responded with 308 on the back of Matthew Hayden’s 94. This proved to be a match-winning innings as the hosts were bowled over for 197 in the second innings. Australia then chased down 95 runs with seven wickets to spare.
Australia won the toss and elected to bat in the second match and posted 369 in their first innings. South Africa were never really in the contest after being bowled out for 267 as Australia pulled ahead and won the match by 112 runs.
The third Test was the most closely fought affair. In bowler-friendly conditions, Australia bowled out South Africa for 303 in the first innings, but they could only respond with 270.
The hosts failed to take advantage of this lead as they were bundled out for 258 in their second innings and Australia chased down the target of 294 with two wickets to spare.