The second ODI of the Australia (AUS) vs South Africa (SA) series will take place at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay on Friday, August 22. South Africa leads the three-match series 1-0 after a stunning win in Cairns. Australia got off to a strong start in the first ODI, but they could not maintain that momentum as South Africa set a stiff target of 297 runs. The home team gave a good account of themselves in their chase, but Keshav Maharaj’s five-wicket haul knocked over Australia’s middle order and took their defeat comfortably. The hosts will be eager to bounce back and keep the series alive. 

See Also: Maharaja T20 Trophy 2025 Match 21: Mangaluru Dragons vs Mysore Warriors, Probable Playing 11, Where To Watch, Live Streaming Details

Conversely, South Africa was dominant in the first match both with bat and ball. Their batters provided a solid foundation against Australia’s very good bowling line-up and with their disciplined bowling, particularly from Maharaj, it ensured a comfortable win. Heading into the second ODI Temba Bavuma’s men will be looking to wrap up the series in style. However, South Africa may have to make adjustments to their playing XI with Prenelan Subrayen unavailable.

Australia vs South Africa, 2nd ODI: Live Streaming Details

Australia vs South Africa, 2nd ODI: Probable Playing XI

Australia

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Aaron Hardie, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Ellis

South Africa

Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton (wicketkeeper), Matthew Breetzke, Temba Bavuma (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

Two days before the start of the three-match T20I series at home against South Africa, Australia’s captain, Mitchell Marsh, has revealed that the attacking opening batter of the side and the ICC No. 2 ranked T20I batter, Tarvis Head, will remain at the top order plans for them during the upcoming Men’s ICC T20 World Cup next year in India and Sri Lanka.

After an exciting 5-0 whitewash against the West Indies last month, the 2021 champions will welcome a few familiar faces against the Proteas as the opening clash begins on August 10. Marsh and Head, who have an outstanding ODI record as openers for Australia, have yet to perform at the opening position in T20Is.

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“It'll be myself and Heady (Travis Head) up the top for the foreseeable future. We've played a lot together, (we've) got a great relationship, so (we'll) start there.” Expressed Marsh, who sits at number three ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup, with the right-handed batter smashing 185 runs in five innings.

Mitchell Marsh locks Australia’s opening pair before home T20I series against South Africa

Since the retirement of the former opening batter, David Warner, Australia has tried and tested various openers, including Glenn Maxwell, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Matthew Short. But with Head’s return, they may look to lock for the sport for the competition next year. He also addressed the batting order of Tim David, who celebrated a 37-ball century during the third T20I against the Caribbean side after an early arrival at the crease.

“We've spoken about it. We saw that in the Caribbean, he came in earlier than he would normally. His skill set is made for that. The more balls he faces, hopefully, the more games he wins us.” Marsh added in Darwin.

The opening game of the series will take place in Marrara Stadium in Darwin, which will also host the second encounter two days later. The action, later, will move to the Cazalys Stadium in Cairns on August 16.

Australia’s T20I squad against South Africa

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

The left-handed opening batter of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Abhishek Sharma, has earned the top spot in the T20I batters’ rankings, as he replaced his IPL opening partner, Travis Head, with a rating of 829, nearly 15 more than the left-handed batter, who lost his position for the first time in more than a year. 

Abhishek Sharma burst into the international scene last year when he smashed a superb T20I century against Zimbabwe. However, he continued to struggle for consistency in the format before showing recent efforts against South Africa and England. The 24-year-old overtakes Head to become the third Indian player to hold the No. 1 spot in T20I after Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav.

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Head was at the top place after he went past Sky during last year’s Men’s T20 World Cup, but his decision to sit out of the five-match T20I series against the West Indies in the Caribbean has seen him lose the position to Sharma. Suryakumar held the top rank while Kohli was the first Indian player to hold the spot during the period between 2014 and 2017.

India show dominance with number one ranks in various departments

India is now the number one-ranked side in the ODIs and T20Is, while their Test batter, Shubman Gill, remains the number one 50-over ranked batter. Abhishek, who has smashed 535 T20I runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 193.84, joins Jasprit Bumrah, who is the number one-ranked Test bowler.

Number 1 ODI team - India
Number 1 T20I team - India
Number 1 ODI batter - Gill
Number 1 T20I batter - Abhishek
Number 1 Test bowler - Bumrah
Number 1 Test all-rounder - Jadeja
Number 1 T20I all-rounder - Hardik

THE DOMINANCE OF TEAM INDIA 🇮🇳💥 pic.twitter.com/jtoESTvD6B

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 30, 2025

Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya are also the number one-ranked all-rounders in the Test and T20I formats. Josh Inglis, who celebrated two half-centuries in the Caribbean T20Is, has moved six places up to the ninth rank among T20I batters. Cameron Green climbs up a whopping 64 spots to go to 24th after his 205 runs across five matches and the Player of the Series heroics.

West Indies substitute fielder Anderson Phillip stole the spotlight on Day 1 of the third Test against Australia with an incredible diving catch to send Travis Head back to the pavilion. It happened on the last ball of the 65th over when Justin Greaves delivered a full ball outside off. Head attempted a lofted drive, only to see Phillip sprinting across from mid-off and diving full-stretch to complete a brilliant low catch, with both hands secure under the ball even as his elbows grazed the turf.

The dismissal of Travis Head, who managed 20 runs off 53 balls with two boundaries, left Australia struggling at 189/6. Earlier in the innings, Australian captain Pat Cummins elected to bat first at Sabina Park. The opening pair of Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja added 28 runs in 100 balls before Konstas fell for 17. Khawaja followed soon after for 23 off 92 deliveries. Cameron Green and Steve Smith held up the innings a bit with a 61-run third-wicket partnership, posting 46 and 48 respectively.

With the middle-order stand, Australia was unable to capitalize on the platform. Alex Carey (21) and Pat Cummins (24 off 17 balls, including 3 sixes) made contributions in the form of cameos. Yet, West Indies' disciplined bowling effort saw Shamar Joseph take four wickets, and Jayden Seales and Justin Greaves take three each. Australia were dismissed for 225 in 70.3 overs.

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See Also: WATCH: Relive fight between Indian captain and England openers during closing over of ENG vs IND 3rd Test

Mitchell Starc Strikes Early in His 100th Test

In response, West Indies lost Kevlon Anderson early while Mitchell Starc celebrated his 100th Test with a decisive breakthrough. At stumps on Day 1, the Windies were 16/1 in nine overs, with Roston Chase (3*) and Brandon King (8*) sitting pretty. With both sides looking at taking control, Day 2 promises to be another edge-of-the-seat encounter at Sabina Park.

Ben Duckett’s outstanding century in the Leeds Test against India played a pivotal role in England’s successful chase of 371 runs in the fourth innings. Following this match-winning knock, former England captain Michael Vaughan hailed Duckett as the best all-format cricketer in the world right now. Duckett has impressed with his consistent performances across formats, boasting averages of 43.68 in Tests, 49 in ODIs, and 29.28 in T20Is. His ability to adapt and perform in different conditions has made him a key asset for England in recent years.

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra also acknowledged Duckett’s versatility as a batter, praising his performances across all three formats. However, Chopra pointed out that Duckett is yet to prove himself in challenging overseas conditions like Australia and has had limited exposure in South Africa. Despite scoring a century during England’s 2024 Test tour of India, Chopra felt his overall impact in Indian conditions wasn’t particularly convincing, suggesting there's still room for him to grow.

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"I agree, among the current players, who are playing all three formats, he stands out. If you look at his stats over the last two years, he has been quite outstanding in all three formats. But there is a caveat. He hasn't gone to Australia to play Test cricket. He has just played three innings in South Africa. His performance was quite limited in India," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Travis Head has a knack for standing up in big matches: Akash Chopra

Instead, Aakash Chopra highlighted Travis Head as a more deserving candidate for the title of the best all-format player in recent years. He pointed out that Head has consistently delivered exceptional performances, particularly in high-pressure situations such as the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023. According to Chopra, these match-winning efforts in crucial games give Head the edge over other contenders, as he has proven his ability to perform when it matters most, showcasing both resilience and adaptability across different formats.

"Maybe Pakistan is good, but in other places, his performances haven't been that great. It is not a straightforward, done-and-dusted story. He has been good in all formats in the last two years. You need to look at Travis Head, he has also had a smashing last couple of years. He has a knack for standing up in big matches. Look at the 2023 WTC final and the 2023 ODI World Cup final. If you do man-to-man marking, the stats of both are the same. In my opinion, Travis Head is ahead of him slightly," he added.

Australian star batter Travis Head survived a scare during the opening day of the ongoing Barbados Test. A highly controversial ruling from the TV umpire left the cricketing world divided. Even after seeing the clear visuals of the ball carrying into the keeper's gloves, the TV umpire ruled in favor of the batting side, thus causing an intense uproar.

The incident came to light during the 46th over of the Australian innings. While facing up to West Indies' Shamar Joseph, Head chased a wide delivery while staying rooted to his crease. Although he did not get the desired connection, the replay, however, confirmed that the ball did make some contact with the cue end of Head's bat.

The West Indies were confident and, after a brief deliberation, opted for a review. Their assumptions were proven right when they saw the visuals on the big screen that suggested a tiny spike as the ball went past the toe-end of the bat. However, South Africa's Adrian Holdstock, who is the designated TV umpire, was not convinced whether the ball settled cleanly into the gloves of Shai Hope. 

Although it appeared that the ball comfortably carried into the gloves of the keeper to the naked eye, Holdstock did not seem very confident and felt that some part of the ball brushed the ground before going into the keeper's gloves.

See also: Australia record their lowest ever Test total against the West Indies in 30 years

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Did Travis Head get lucky? 👀

Shamar Joseph thought he had him, but was it clean? Fair call or a missed chance? 🤔#WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/MKeZe2iRTT

— FanCode (@FanCode) June 25, 2025

Despite the let-off, Head failed to cash in as he could only add six more runs before getting dismissed by Greaves on 59. Head emerged as the highest run-scorer for Australia in the first innings and stood tall while the rest of the Australian batters struggled to get their feet going on a difficult batting surface.

Australia's innings ended right after the Tea interval on day one. With only 180 runs on the board, the Aussie quicks launched a late assault to have West Indies four down for 57 by the end of the day's play. 

South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder shared a conversation he had with his IPL teammate and Australian star Travis Head after the World Test Championship final. South Africa finally ended their 27-year wait for an ICC title by winning the WTC final against Australia at Lord's, London.

This victory marked South Africa’s first major cricket triumph and helped them move past their long-standing reputation of falling short in crucial moments of big tournaments.

Mulder and Head are more than just international rivals—they were also teammates at Sunrisers Hyderabad during IPL 2025. Although Mulder didn’t get many matches, the two spent a lot of time together during training and bonded well. That friendship continued after the final in the form of a warm and emotional post-match conversation. South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder spoke about his emotional conversation with Australian star Travis Head after the World Test Championship final.

Also Read -23-year-old allrounder, who scored over 300 runs and took 29 wickets, died in Ahmedabad plain crash

“I actually spoke to him (Head) last night on the phone,” Mulder told ICC Digital. “He was happy for us and the way things went. Of course, he was heartbroken that they didn’t win, but I think the spirit of the game was as high and as good as it could be.”

Mulder also said that even though Australia is known for its tough image, this team showed great grace and sportsmanship in defeat.

“When you think about the Aussies, you often think of them as being a bit aggressive at times, but these guys are true champions,” he said. “Heady is one of the nicest people around, and Patty (Pat Cummins) is also a great guy.”

🚨WHAT A DELIVERY BY MULDER TO DISMISS TRAVIS HEAD#WtcFinal2025 #wtc2025final #WTCFinal

pic.twitter.com/XSgh50Q7TU

— Everyday Pursuits (@evrydaypursuit) June 12, 2025

Mulder shared that he built a strong bond with both Head and Cummins during IPL 2025. Though he wasn’t in the playing XI often, he spent a lot of time training with them at Sunrisers Hyderabad. He regularly faced Head and Cummins in the nets—practice that helped him later in the WTC Final.

“I spent a lot of time with them during the IPL. There was a lot of friendly banter,” Mulder said.

Notably, it was Mulder who dismissed Head for just 7 runs in the second innings of the WTC final. He also praised the Australian team for the way they handled the loss, saying they showed true sportsmanship even in a tough moment.

South Africa set a strong start in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final against the defending champions Australia, as the Baggy Greens lost four wickets before the lunch break. The first session ended with a stunning catch by the Proteas wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, which dismissed the dangerous cricketer Travis Head. 

South Africa chose to field first after winning the toss in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final on Wednesday morning (June 11), which Lord's (London) is hosting. 

South African pacers provided a strong start for the Proteas as Australia were struggling at 67/4 at the lunch break. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen bagged two wickets each in that session, while the Aussie batters completely struggled to handle the early pressure. 

See Also: 'GOAT of Tests' - Fans react as Steve Smith scores half century in SA vs AUS WTC Final 2025

2025 ICC WTC Final: Kyle Verreynne's stunning catch sent Travis Head back cheaply

The first session of the 2025 ICC WTC Final ended with a wicket of dangerous Aussie left-handed batter Travis Head. The left-arm fast bowler Marco Jansen bowled a leg-side delivery, which Head had a little touch on that travelled to the leg side. South African wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne quickly reacted to it and dived to his right side to take a stunner with his right hand to dismiss the dangerous Aussie batter. Head only managed to score 11 runs, as the South Africans were celebrating that big moment. 

 

 

 

 

 

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2025 ICC WTC Final: Kagiso Rabada took two wickets in an over

In the first session of the 2025 ICC WTC Final, South Africans were excellent at catching, as they counted every opportunity with their best responses. While the pacers provided strong starts with their tight line and lengths, the Proteas fielders were also very disciplined to support the bowlers. 

At lunch, while the defending champions Australia were struggling at 67/4, Steven Smith was batting at 26 runs, the only Australian to reach the 20-run mark. Opener Usman Khawaja failed to open his account, while the no.3 batter Cameron Green, making his Test comeback after more than a year, scored four off three balls, as Kagiso Rabada took two wickets in the seventh over of the match.

Later, Jansen dismissed another Aussie opener Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head for 17 and 11 runs, respectively. 

In the IPL 2025 match played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in Delhi, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in a one-sided manner by a huge margin of 110 runs. Batting first in this match, Hyderabad scored 278 runs for the loss of three wickets in the stipulated 20 overs, in response, Kolkata's team was all out for 168 runs.

Hyderabad won the toss and chose to bat and Abhishek and Head gave Sunrisers a stormy start by adding 79 runs in the power play. Both of them took the team to 50 runs in the fourth over itself. Abhishek was dismissed after scoring 32 runs in 16 balls with four fours and two sixes. Head completed his half-century in 26 balls by hitting a six to Varun Chakravarty and took the team's score beyond 100 runs. Klaasen also hit strong shots and Hyderabad scored 139 runs for one wicket in 10 overs. This player from South Africa completed his fifty in 17 balls. Narine gave Hyderabad the second blow by dismissing Head. But Klaasen's attacks continued and the team reached 200 in 15 overs.

Klaasen hit a quick century

Ishan Kishan also scored runs quickly. He played an innings of 29 runs in 20 balls with four fours and a six. Klaasen completed his century in 37 balls. This was the fastest IPL century from Sunrisers Hyderabad. He also became the second foreign player to score a century in the current season. This is jointly the third fastest century in the history of IPL. Narine was the most successful from Kolkata with two wickets. Apart from him, Varun Chakraborty conceded 54 runs in three overs and Enrique Norkia conceded 60 runs in four overs.

KKR's batting flop in run chase

Kolkata chased the target in a stormy manner and Sunil Narine started the innings with a six. He scored runs quickly by hitting big shots. But Jaydev Unadkat bowled him out and gave Hyderabad its first success. Captain Ajinkya Rahane (15) tried to score runs but he too was caught while playing Unadkat's ball. Quinton de Kock (9) did not look in form and Ishan Malinga ended his painful innings. Rinku Singh (9) and Andre Russell (0) both got out in two consecutive balls. Harsh Dubey got them out. With this, Kolkata's score became 70 runs for five wickets.

Angakrish Raghuvanshi (14) also could not do much and became Malinga's second victim. Ramandeep Singh scored 13 runs with two sixes and was bowled by Dubey. This wicket fell at the score of 110. After this, Manish Pandey and Harshit Rana made a stormy partnership of 52 runs by hitting some big shots. With this, KKR crossed 150. Unadkat got his third victim by getting Pandey caught by Abhinav Manohar. On the next ball, Vaibhav Arora was run out while running carelessly. Harshit Rana was out as the last wicket.

ALSO READ: IPL 2025 Points Table, Purple cap and Orange cap after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Match No 68

Twitter reactions after SRH wins 68th match of IPL 2025

Only SRH fans would be disappointed after scoring 278.

STANDARDS 👊🏻🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/84EFiQvkb4

— Tyler Durden (@harshithvarma) May 25, 2025

If I die donate all my body parts to Science except middle finger, give it to SRH🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/oAQoPNhqOH

— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) May 25, 2025

She unwillingly leaked the script that night
We are so delusional to hope 😭 pic.twitter.com/DUmOnNy5tc

— RCB Xtra (@Rcb_Xtra) May 25, 2025

pic.twitter.com/oAWLq3QWZf

— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) May 25, 2025

Kateramma Koduku ♥️🔥
Send off Gattigane ichadu #Srhvskkr #klaseen pic.twitter.com/BCnVl2jBJq

— Addicted To Memes (@Addictedtomemez) May 25, 2025

Memu confuse ayyam, malli season 1st nunchi start cheyyandra @BCCI pic.twitter.com/sOfMfSSw1J

— Surya (@MsdianDhfm) May 25, 2025

Twitter seems crazy today. RCB fans are supporting CSK but CSK fans are not supporting CSK.#GTvsCSK pic.twitter.com/EDrFbLqSNa

— Sagar (@sagarcasm) May 25, 2025

WWE wrestler feels. pic.twitter.com/Yzy3hJK378

— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) May 25, 2025

Mumbai Indians! pic.twitter.com/WAqANtDLMU

— RVCJ Media (@RVCJ_FB) May 25, 2025

pic.twitter.com/1edNMQATbq

— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) May 25, 2025

Again, COVID-19 to threaten the Indian Premier League (IPL)? Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is set to face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) tomorrow at the Ekana Cricket Ground. Prior to the match, SRH head coach Daniel Vettori shared some unexpected information about a star player of their squad. 

Australia and Sunrisers Hyderabad star opener Travis Head has contracted COVID-19. For that reason, the fearless batter is set to miss the upcoming encounter. Though Vettori provided the information about the Aussie batter's present status, he did not say how and where the Australian batter contracted the infection.

Vettori further stated that due to COVID-19, his arrival in India has not been accurate in time. After the BCCI decided to put IPL 2025 on hold due to military tensions between India and Pakistan, SRH captain Pat Cummins and Head decided to leave India and go back to Australia, their home soil. Vettori informed the pre-match press conference that Head will arrive in India on Monday morning and will be assessed further by the team's medical staff.

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🚨 𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 🚨

Travis Head likely to miss the clash against LSG as he’s set to arrive in India tomorrow after recently contracting COVID-19. 🤕#IPL2025 #TravisHead #LSGvSRH pic.twitter.com/z53uXtlR1n

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) May 18, 2025

Head will join the IPL team 

"Travis is coming in tomorrow morning; he was delayed. He actually had COVID, so he couldn’t travel, so he’ll get in tomorrow morning, and we’ll assess how he is after that", SRH head coach said..

As Australia will face South Africa in the World Test Championship Final (WTC final) on June 11 and as Cricket Australia already announced the squad for the clash, it was not clear about Pat and Travis' availability for the remaining IPL 2025 campaign of SRH. Later, it was known that both star players will be available for the remaining fixtures. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2025 remaining fixtures:

- SRH vs. Lucknow Super Giants, May 19

- Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs. SRH, May 23

- SRH vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, May 25