In August 2023, Australia arrived in Durban and did something brutal. They scored 226/6, The highest T20I total ever at Kingsmead and bowled South Africa out for 115. A 111-run demolition. Two years later, South Africa arrived in Darwin and did something nobody expected. Dewald Brevis scored 125* off 56 balls the highest T20I century by any South African, ever, against any team. South Africa won by 53 runs.
Same two teams. A completely different story. This is the full scorecard history of Australia vs South Africa from 2023 to 2026, Every major match, every turning point, and the honest answer to the question every cricket fan is now asking: who actually has the edge in this rivalry today?
The Complete AUS vs SA Timeline: Every Major Match Since 2023
| Event | Format | Result | Key Story |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 (Durban) | T20I Series (3 matches) | Australia won 3-0 | Marsh’s captaincy debut, Tim David record partnership |
| Sep 2023 (Johannesburg) | 5th ODI | Part of ODI series | High-scoring finish to the tour |
| 2024-25 | Champions Trophy Group B | ICC group match | Group-stage clash within global tournament |
| 2025 | WTC Final | Australia won | Confirmed Test-format dominance |
| Aug 2025 (Darwin/Cairns) | T20I Series (3 matches) | Australia won 2-1 | Brevis’s record 125* in Match 2 |
| Aug-Sep 2025 (Cairns/Mackay) | ODI Series (3 matches) | South Africa won 2-1 | Two away wins before Australia’s 431/2 response |
Read Also:- Rajasthan Royals Vs Gujarat Titans Match Scorecard
2023: Australia’s 3-0 T20I Demolition in Durban
1st T20I: Marsh’s Captaincy Debut and a 111-Run Statement
Mitchell Marsh took over as Australia’s T20I captain in Durban on August 30, 2023. He marked the occasion with a 22-ball half-century.
Australia posted 226/6, The highest T20I total ever recorded at Kingsmead. Tim David then took over, and his partnership with Marsh 97 runs for the 5th wicket broke the previous Australian T20I record of 83, set by Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich.
South Africa never recovered. They were bowled out for 115 in 15.3 overs, with debutant Tanveer Sangha taking a four-wicket haul. Australia won by 111 runs.
What most people miss: This wasn’t just a big win. It was Australia signaling a changing of the guard a new captain (Marsh), a new finisher (David), and a bowling debutant (Sangha) all delivering in the same match. This T20I set the tone for a full decade of Australian white-ball depth.
2nd & 3rd T20I: Tim David, Matthew Short, and a Series Sweep
In the 2nd T20I, South Africa recovered from 122/6 in the 14th over to post a fighting total, only for Australia to chase it down by 8 wickets with 31 balls remaining. South Africa dropped four catches in the field a common mistake that repeatedly cost them across this tour. The 3rd T20I completed the sweep. Australia chased 191, Their sixth-highest successful T20I chase ever with Matthew Short smashing 66 off 30 balls at a strike rate of 220. Australia won by 5 wickets, completing a 3-0 series sweep.
Unique insight: South Africa’s bowlers repeatedly took pace off the ball in this series a tactic that worked against most teams but was completely dismantled by Australian batters who simply generated their own power. This tactical mismatch defined the entire 2023 tour.
What to take forward: If you’re analysing South Africa’s white-ball evolution, 2023 Durban is your baseline. Every improvement SA made by 2025 needs to be measured against this 3-0 low point.
Champions Trophy 2024-25: The Group Match Nobody Talks About
Buried in the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2024-25 was another Australia vs South Africa meeting Group B, 7th Match.
Every competitor covering this match treats it as an isolated group-stage fixture. But context matters: this match sat directly between Australia’s dominant 2023 tour and the WTC Final that would follow. It was part of a continuous stretch where Australia held the psychological upper hand over South Africa across formats a stretch that would only break in August 2025.
What people think: ICC group matches are “just” group matches.
Reality: In a rivalry as tightly contested as this one, every match adds to the psychological ledger. Australia’s win here following the 2023 sweep meant South Africa entered their WTC Final preparation already carrying a losing record against Australia across multiple recent formats.
WTC Final: Australia Confirm Red-Ball Supremacy
The World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa confirmed what the rivalry had been suggesting since 2023: Australia’s Test-format dominance over South Africa remained intact.
Australia’s win in the WTC Final wasn’t just about one match. It was the culmination of a period where South Africa struggled to match Australia’s depth, particularly in bowling attack management and top-order consistency under Test pressure.
Bold opinion: South Africa’s WTC Final defeat should be viewed as the moment their white-ball response became almost inevitable. Teams that lose in the format that matters most (Test cricket, for South Africa’s cricketing culture) often find their fiercest response in white-ball cricket weeks or months later. That’s exactly what happened next.
2025: The Series That Flipped the Script
South Africa arrived in Australia in August 2025 with a rivalry ledger that read: 2023 T20I sweep lost, Champions Trophy match lost, WTC Final lost. Three consecutive defeats across three different formats and contexts.
They left having beaten Australia in an ODI series on Australian soil for the first time in years.
T20I Series: Brevis’s 125* and South Africa’s Statement
Australia won the T20I series 2-1, but the story of the series was written by one South African batter.
In the 2nd T20I at Darwin, Dewald Brevis scored 125* off 56 balls the highest individual T20I score by a South African, the youngest South African T20I centurion, and the biggest individual T20I score by anyone against Australia. South Africa posted 218/7 and dismissed Australia for 165, winning by 53 runs.
Counterintuitive insight: Australia still won the series 2-1. But series results from 2025 mean less than they used to, because Brevis’s innings changed the psychological equation permanently. South Africa now have documented proof that their batting can dismantle Australia’s bowling in Australian conditions. That evidence doesn’t disappear even in a series loss.
ODI Series: Two Away Wins That Signal a New Era
The ODI series is where the real script-flip happened. South Africa won 2-1:
- 1st ODI (Cairns): SA 296/8, Australia 198 all out. SA won by 98 runs.
- 2nd ODI (Mackay): SA 277, Australia 193 all out. SA won by 84 runs.
- 3rd ODI (Mackay): Australia 431/2, SA 155 all out. Australia won by 276 runs.
South Africa won the series before Australia’s massive response in the final, dead-rubber match. This is the single most important structural shift in the entire 2023-2026 rivalry South Africa beating Australia in bilateral ODI cricket, away from home, twice in a row, by margins of 98 and 84 runs.
What most people miss: Australia’s 431/2 in the 3rd ODI is often cited as evidence that “Australia still dominate.” That reading ignores the series result. South Africa had already won the series 2-1 by the time that match started. Australia’s response was real and impressive but it came after the series was already lost, in a match with no series stakes attached.
Format Split: Why Australia Wins Red-Ball, SA Wins White-Ball
Looking across the entire 2023-2026 timeline, a clear pattern emerges:
| Format | Recent Trend | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Test Cricket | Australia dominant | WTC Final win. |
| T20I Cricket | Australia leads, but SA competitive | 2023: AUS 3-0; 2025: AUS 2-1 with Brevis 125* |
| ODI Cricket | South Africa ascending | 2025: SA won series 2-1 away from home |
Read Also:- Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians Match Scorecard
Original observation: This format split isn’t accidental. Australia’s structural advantage in Test cricket comes from bowling depth and application under sustained pressure qualities that matter less in white-ball cricket, where explosive individual talent (Brevis, David) can single-handedly swing a 20 or 40-over match. South Africa’s next generation of white-ball batters Brevis specifically represent a genuine threat to Australian dominance heading into the 2027 ODI World Cup, which South Africa will host.
What to do with this insight: If you’re tracking this rivalry for betting, fantasy, or fan purposes treat every format separately. Don’t assume a Test result predicts a white-ball result, and don’t assume a T20I result predicts an ODI result. The 2025 tour proved these formats are now genuinely decoupled between these two teams.
What People Think vs What Actually Happened
Myth 1: “Australia have always dominated South Africa across all formats.”
Truth: That was true through 2023 and the WTC Final. It stopped being true in August 2025, when South Africa won an ODI series on Australian soil by convincing margins in two of three matches.
Myth 2: “Australia’s 431/2 in the 3rd ODI proves they’re still the better team.”
Truth: That match came after South Africa had already won the series 2-1. A dead-rubber batting explosion is real evidence of Australia’s ceiling but it doesn’t erase the series result that came before it.
Myth 3: “The 2023 T20I sweep and the WTC Final loss mean South Africa can’t compete with Australia.”
Truth: Those results are real, but they’re now outdated by two years. South Africa’s response in 2025 headlined by Brevis’s record-breaking century shows genuine evolution, not a one-off.
Player Performance Ratings Across the Rivalry
| Player | Team | Signature Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Dewald Brevis | South Africa | 125* vs AUS, Darwin 2025 — record innings |
| Mitchell Marsh | Australia | Captaincy debut 50, Durban 2023 |
| Tim David | Australia | Record 97-run 5th wicket stand, 2023 |
| Matthew Short | Australia | 66 off 30, 3rd T20I 2023 chase |
| SA ODI Bowling Unit | South Africa | Restricted AUS to 198 & 193, 2025 |
| Tanveer Sangha | Australia | 4-wicket debut haul, 2023 |
| Australia Top Order | Australia | 431/2, 3rd ODI 2025 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is the recent head-to-head record between Australia and South Africa?
Ans. Australia swept the 2023 T20I series 3-0 in Durban and won the WTC Final. In 2025, Australia won the T20I series 2-1 in Australia, but South Africa won the ODI series 2-1 — a significant shift in the white-ball rivalry.
Q2: What was the score of the 1st T20I between South Africa and Australia in 2023?
Ans. Australia scored 226/6 at Kingsmead, Durban — the highest T20I total ever at that venue — and bowled South Africa out for 115. Australia won by 111 runs on August 30, 2023.
Q3: Who won the 2025 ODI series between South Africa and Australia?
Ans. South Africa won the ODI series 2-1. They won the 1st ODI by 98 runs and the 2nd ODI by 84 runs, both away from home. Australia won the 3rd ODI, a dead rubber, by 276 runs, scoring 431/2.
Q4: What record did Dewald Brevis set against Australia?
Ans. Dewald Brevis scored 125* off 56 balls in the 2nd T20I at Darwin in August 2025 — the highest individual T20I score by a South African and the biggest individual T20I innings ever played against Australia.
Q5: Did South Africa win the World Test Championship Final against Australia?
Ans. No. Australia won the WTC Final against South Africa, confirming their continued dominance in Test cricket over South Africa in the current era.
Q6: Who has the advantage in the AUS vs SA rivalry today?
Ans. Australia remains stronger in Test cricket, evidenced by the WTC Final win. But South Africa has closed the gap significantly in white-ball cricket, winning the 2025 ODI series and producing a record-breaking T20I century from Dewald Brevis.
