{"id":265247,"date":"2026-09-30T21:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T21:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/30\/australia-deny-south-africa-series-sweep-as-carey-returns-to-form-in-rain-affected-third-odi\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T21:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T21:40:17","slug":"australia-deny-south-africa-series-sweep-as-carey-returns-to-form-in-rain-affected-third-odi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/30\/australia-deny-south-africa-series-sweep-as-carey-returns-to-form-in-rain-affected-third-odi\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia deny South Africa series sweep as Carey returns to form in rain-affected third ODI"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Australia have avoided a whitewash in their ODI series in South Africa with Pat Cummins\u2019 encouraging comeback and the return to form of Adam Zampa and Alex Carey inspiring them to a morale-boosting if rain-interrupted win in Potchefstroom.<\/p>\n

The final day-nighter was eventually called off under the lights on Wednesday as rain ruined the finale, but Australia could still celebrate a satisfying 45-run (DLS method) victory<\/a> on a day when they were vastly improved after their capitulation in chases in the first two matches.<\/p>\n

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Half-centuries from the rejuvenated Carey (74 off 88 balls) and captain Mitch Marsh, plus 48 from Ollie Peake, helped propel Australia to 322-9 after they\u2019d been put in, with South Africa at no point then threatening to pull off the highest successful ODI chase ever at the ground.<\/p>\n

And by the time the rain, which had also delayed the start by half-an-hour, returned to quite spoil the fun, Australia were already in full control.<\/p>\n

Zampa (2 for 34 off six overs) rediscovered his best after recent struggles and Xavier Bartlett earned a couple of key early wickets (2 for 25 off five) as only Ryan Rickelton (71 no off 81 balls) looked likely to trouble the visitors with South Africa limping to 145-4 off 28 overs.<\/p>\n

Cummins may have returned as bowler only, not as the captain, with Marsh keeping the job for the third and final match, but his return seemed to enthuse everyone, with his 0 for 17 off five probing overs suggesting he\u2019ll be in fine shape to lead his troops in the first Test in Durban on 9 October.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Travis Head and Mitch Marsh got Australia off to a strong start in the third ODI against South Africa.<\/span> Photograph: Sydney Seshibedi\/Gallo Images\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stand-in Marsh again did his bit<\/a>, leading from the front, as he powered to his third half-century of the series (56 off 42 balls) following his 60 and 84 in Durban and Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

Marsh and Travis Head (24 off 20) again provided an electric start with a 78-run stand at nine-runs-an-over and this time the middle-order built much more assiduously against a Proteas\u2019 side who weren\u2019t helped by resting key spinner, player-of-the-series Keshav Maharaj<\/a>, and captain Temba Bavuma among four changes.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t easy to start with, after Bjorn Fortuin trapped Marsh lbw and Gerald Coetzee bowled Cooper Connolly (23) with a brilliant yorker, but 20-year-old prospect Peake impressed again with Carey as they put on 73 off 88 balls, the sort of partnership Marsh had been crying out to see.<\/p>\n

Peake, on 48, looked a bit crestfallen after he must have thought he\u2019d cracked a boundary off Corbin Bosch to take him to his landmark 50 only for Fortuin to take a dazzling diving catch behind point to send him packing.<\/p>\n

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