Once again, South Africa came agonisingly close, with Australia clinching a narrow two-wicket win off the final ball. Batting first, the Proteas posted 172/7 in their 20 overs in the series decider. 

Dewald Brevis led the charge with a quick-fire 53 off 26 balls, while Rassie van der Dussen, coming in at six, contributed 38 from 26 deliveries. Tristan Stubbs added 25, and Lhuan-Dré Pretorius chipped in with 24.

Glenn Maxwell. Photo: Cricinfo

For Australia, Nathan Ellis was the standout bowler, finishing with 3/31 from his four overs, while Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood each claimed two wickets.

In reply, “The Big Show” Glenn Maxwell did what he does best, smashing 62 not out off 36 balls to guide Australia to victory in 19.5 overs. At the top of the order, captain Mitchell Marsh scored 54 off 37, with Travis Head making 19 from 18 balls.

Corbin Bosch was South Africa’s pick of the bowlers with 3/26, while captain Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada each took two wickets.

Following the nail-biting encounter, Conrad admitted it was frustrating not to finish off a series, especially after recently losing the T20 International Tri-Series final against New Zealand in Harare. But he emphasised the team’s growth and development remain the priority as they build towards the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

“Obviously, the result is disappointing – a few weeks ago in Zimbabwe, we played New Zealand in the final, and again we should have won going into the last over, so that result didn’t go our way. 

“But in and amongst all of that, I’m really happy with the growth and progress being made. You can see it in the guys who have been playing regularly, and even those coming off a bit of a sabbatical – there’s just a little rustiness.”

Dewald Brevis. Photo: Cricinfo

“Overall, I’m happy with how we’re shaping up. We’ve got 14 T20 Internationals before the World Cup, so all’s good, and we’ll keep building on that.”

The focus now shifts to the three-match One-Day International series against Australia. The first ODI will be played in Cairns on Tuesday, with the opening ball scheduled for 06:30.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg