Cape Town – South Africa’s recent ODI dominance over Australia is becoming difficult to ignore.
The Proteas have won 10 of their 14 men’s ODIs against Australia since the start of 2020, with Australia managing just four victories during that period.
That leaves Australia with a win percentage of just 28.6% against South Africa over those 14 matches.
The run started in 2020, when the Proteas swept Australia 3-0 on home soil. South Africa won in Paarl before completing the whitewash with victories in Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom.
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Three years later, Australia looked ready to change the trend when they won the opening two matches of the 2023 series in Bloemfontein.
South Africa responded emphatically. They won the next three matches by 111, 164 and 122 runs to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 series victory.
The teams then met twice at the 2023 World Cup.
Quinton de Kock’s century helped South Africa hammer Australia by 134 runs in the group stage, before Australia got their revenge when it mattered most, winning a tense semi-final by three wickets in Kolkata.
The Proteas were back on top when the rivalry resumed in Australia in 2025.
South Africa won the opening two ODIs by 98 and 84 runs to secure the series, before Australia responded with a crushing 276-run victory in the third match.
That gave South Africa a fifth consecutive ODI series victory over Australia, stretching their remarkable run in the rivalry even further.
And the pattern continued when the teams met again in Durban on Thursday.
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Matthew Breetzke struck 112 and Marco Jansen added 75 as South Africa recovered to post 297-8 at Kingsmead.
Australia raced to 90 without loss in reply, but Keshav Maharaj changed the game with figures of 4-20. The visitors were eventually dismissed for 230 as South Africa completed a 67-run victory and took a 1-0 series lead.
It was another victory in a period increasingly controlled by the Proteas.
Since the start of 2020, the equation is simple: 14 matches, 10 South African wins and only four for Australia.
The Aussies now head to the Wanderers on Sunday with another chance to start changing those numbers.
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