All three matches in the series have been won by the team batting first, and all by big margins. In Mackay, it was noticeable how much more the ball did under lights and that difference in conditions prompted Marsh to bat first for the first time in 22 tosses. He would have been even happier with the way Australia responded to his call.

After being bowled out for under 200 in the first two matches of the series, Australia showed they meant business when Marsh and Head shared in Australia’s fourth-highest opening stand of 250. They batted together for 34.1 overs which still left plenty of time for Green to score the second-fastest ODI hundred for Australia after Glenn Maxwell. In the process, Australia also became only the second side in which the top three all scored centuries in an ODI innings.

The other team to have achieved that feat was South Africa against West Indies, a decade ago at altitude in Johannesburg. Australia’s trio of hundreds came on the Queensland coast, on a used but flat pitch, and against a weakened South African attack.

With Kagiso Rabada out of the series with an ankle injury and Lungi Ngidi rested, South Africa lacked discipline upfront and struggled to rein Australia in at any stage. Kwena Maphaka, playing in just his third ODI, gave away 73 runs in six overs, Wiaan Mulder was at his most expensive with 93 runs scored off his seven overs and only Keshav Maharaj conceded at under six runs an over.

Maphaka and Mulder took the new balls against an Australian pair who showed no mercy. When they raced to 41 without loss after four overs, returning captain Temba Bavuma had to introduce spin early. While Maharaj and Aiden Markram’s first overs were boundary-less, the pause in power hitting was only temporary.

Head brought up fifty off 32 balls and at that point had scored twice as many runs as Marsh, and only faced 10 more balls. It looked as though Head would race to a hundred before Marsh reached fifty but the Australian captain got there when he drove Corbin Bosch square off his 50th delivery.

Head’s hundred came off 80 balls, with a single from Muthusamy and his signature helmet-on-bat celebration, fitting of the significance of the moment. Head last scored an international century 25 innings ago in all formats.

The Head-Marsh partnership grew to 200 by the 28th over, and was Australia’s first double-century stand since the 2023 World Cup, when Maxwell went wild in their victory over Afghanistan. Six overs later, their stand reached 250 as Head took 19 runs off Markram. With 150 and beyond in his sights, it seemed Head could do no wrong but he couldn’t clear long-off against Maharaj.

In the over after his dismissal, Marsh reached his hundred, from 105 balls. He was also set for more but top-edged a slog-sweep off Muthusamy and Ryan Rickelton ran from behind the stumps to square leg to take the catch.

Australia promoted Green ahead of Marnus Labuschagne and gave him a licence to thrill. By the time Maphaka was brought back in the 43rd over, Green had his eye in. He brought up fifty off 28 deliveries when he hit Maphaka over midwicket for six, in an over that cost 20. Maphaka’s day got worse when he dropped Carey on 29.

Green then launched a magnificent assault on Muthusamy and sent him for a hat-trick of sixes to enter the 80s having declined a single to retain the strike. Twin sixes off Mulder put him on the brink and then Green reached his hundred with two off Bosch. He finished unbeaten on 118.

Carey iced the cake by reaching his 13th ODI half-century off 37 balls. The third-wicket stand between Green and Carey was worth 164 off 13.3 overs, at a scoring rate of 12.14 and Australia added 126 runs off the last 10 overs.

Faced with a daunting target, South Africa’s start was always going to determine how things went and it was badly. Markram’s struggles outside the off stump remain and he nicked Sean Abbott to second slip in the second over. Rickelton has also had a difficult tour and handed Connolly a catch at midwicket to depart for 11.

In the next over, Bavuma, whose approach was aggressive as he reached 19 off 10 balls, advanced on Abbott, swung and chopped on. By the nine over, Tristan Stubbs was also dismissed, caught at cover off Xavier Bartlett. From 50 for 4, 431 was a world away.

Tony de Zorzi and Dewald Brevis shared in South Africa’s best partnership but de Zorzi played a poor shot and was caught at midwicket when he tried to pull Connolly over the inner ring. Brevis looked the best of the South Africans, especially with his two sixes off Adam Zampa, but holed out to long-off on 49 to give Connolly a second wicket.

His next two came courtesy of spectacular catching by Labuschagne at long-on. He caught Wiaan Mulder low off the turf running in, and Bosch when he dived full length and avoided the boundary rope.

While Connolly had the fielders to thank for his earlier wickets, his fifth came through a clever piece of bowling. He drew Maharaj forward with a flighted ball, beat him as he slogged across the line and Josh Inglis did the rest. Zampa took the final wicket in the 25th over, as South Africa were bowled out with more than half their overs remaining.

Brief scores:
Australia 431 for 2 in 50  overs  (Travis Head 142, Cameron Green 118*, Mitchell Marsh 100, Alex Carey 50*; Keshav Maharaj 1-57,Senuran Muthusamy 1-75) beat South Africa 155 in 24.5 overs  (Tony de Zorzi 33, Dewald Brevis 49; Xavier Bartlett 2-45, Sean Abott 2-27, Cooper  Connolly 5-22) by 276 runs

[Cricinfo]