Green, Head, Marsh flay centuries as Australia pile up 431

Centuries from Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and a maiden ODI hundred from Cameron Green, off just 47 balls, took Australia to their second-highest ODI total, behind their 434 for 4 against South Africa 19 years ago.

After being bowled out for under 200 in the first two matches of the series, Australia showed they meant business when Marsh and Head shared in Australia's fourth-highest opening stand of 250. They batted together for 34.1 overs which still left plenty of time for Green to score the second-fastest ODI hundred for Australia after Glenn Maxwell. In the process, Australia also became only the second side in which the top three all scored centuries in an ODI innings.

The other team to have achieved that feat was South Africa against West Indies, a decade ago at altitude in Johannesburg. Australia's trio of hundreds came on the Queensland coast, on a used pitch, and will require South Africa pull off a 2006-style chase to clean sweep the series. Australia have never been whitewashed in a home ODI series.

South Africa's attack, which was without either of Kagiso Rabada (out of the series with an ankle injury) or Lungi Ngidi (rested), lacked discipline upfront and struggled to rein Australia in at any stage. Kwena Maphaka, playing in just his third ODI, gave away 73 runs in six overs, Wiaan Mulder was at his most expensive with 93 runs scored off his seven overs and only Keshav Maharaj conceded at under six runs an over.

Maphaka and Mulder took the new balls against an Australian pair who showed no mercy. Head glanced the first ball fine where a misfield provided a boundary then he drilled the fifth past Maphaka. At the other end, Marsh drove Mulder off the back foot for his first four and then swivel-pulled him for six. Head took three fours off Maphaka's second over and Marsh hit Mulder for six again and with Australia on 41 without loss after four overs, returning captain Temba Bavuma had to make a bowling change.

Maharaj was brought on in the fifth over, but Mulder continued and was taken apart again. That forced double spin with Aiden Markram introduced in the powerplay and though his first over was boundary-less, the pause in power hitting was only temporary.

Head brought up fifty off 32 balls and at that point had scored twice as many runs as Marsh and only faced 10 more balls. Australia were 86 without loss after 10 overs, seeing it well and hitting cleanly. South Africa continued with spin and Head took on Maharaj, hitting his sixth over for 11 runs, including a striking six over mid-on.

It looked as though Head would race to a hundred before Marsh reached fifty but the Australian captain got there when he drove Corbin Bosch square off his 50th delivery. Head's hundred came off 80 balls, with a single from Muthusamy and his signature helmet-on-bat celebration. Head last scored an international century in December 2024, 25 innings ago across all formats.

The Head-Marsh partnership grew to 200 by the 28th over, and was Australia's first double-century stand since the 2023 World Cup, when Maxwell went wild in their victory over Afghanistan. Six overs later, their stand reached 250 as Head took 19 runs off Markram.

With 150 and beyond in his sights, it seemed Head could do no wrong but he couldn't clear long-off against Maharaj. In the over after his dismissal, Marsh reached his hundred, from 105 balls. He was also set for more but top-edged a slog-sweep off Muthusamy and Ryan Rickelton ran from behind the stumps to square leg to take the catch.

Australia promoted Green ahead of Marnus Labuschagne and gave him a licence to thrill. He moved briskly to 19 off 11 balls, including three fours, and Australia entered the last 10 overs on 305 for 2.

Maphaka was brought back in the 43rd over and tried some slower balls but Green had his eye in. Green brought up fifty off 28 deliveries when he hit Maphaka over midwicket for six, in an over that cost 20. Maphaka's day got worse when, in the next over, he was at deep backward square when Carey pulled a Bosch slower ball to him but he spilled the chance. Carey was on 29 at the time.

Before South Africa could think of what could have been, Green launched a magnificent assault on Muthusamy and sent him for a hat-trick of sixes to enter the 80s having declined a single to retain the strike. Twin sixes off Mulder put him on the brink and then Green reached his hundred with two off Bosch. He finished unbeaten on 118.

Carey iced the cake by reaching his 13th ODI half-century off 37 balls. The third-wicket stand between Green and Carey was worth 164 off 13.3 overs, at a scoring rate of 12.14 and Australia added 126 runs off the last 10 overs to leave South Africa a mighty job to do.