Top three tons set up crushing Aussie consolation victory
Australia bounced back with a thumping 276-run win in the ODI series finale against South Africa
Australia's top three created their own piece of history under the baking sun in Mackay to launch the hosts to a comprehensive consolation victory in the third BKT Tyres ODI.
Centuries to openers Mitch Marsh, Travis Head and No.3 Cameron Green catapulted Australia to a mammoth 2-431, their highest ODI total on home soil and second largest overall.
It's the first time in a men's ODI that Australia's top three batters have all made individual hundreds and only the second time in history (after South Africa in 2015).
Even on a flat Great Barrier Reef Arena pitch it was too tall of a task for South Africa, who fell a whopping 276 runs short and were bowled out in the 25th over.
Despite an almost faultless 250-run opening partnership, the story of the innings turned out to be Green's maiden century in the format which came off 47 balls.
Coming to the crease in the 35th over, Green had a licence to be aggressive from the outset and got busy with his running between wickets while the set Marsh got to his milestone.
Green was 44 off 27 balls when he saw a match-up he liked; Kwena Maphaka with the short boundary to Green's leg side.
The towering allrounder reached a 28-ball half-century with his first six over midwicket and repeated the dose two balls later after picking Maphaka's slower ball.
Maphaka was back into SA's XI to round out an inexperienced bowling attack, missing Kagiso Rabada (ankle) and Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi (both rested).
Two overs later Green was hitting to the same side, this time off spinner Senuran Muthusamy.
After punching the third ball of the over to the point sweeper, Green declined the run and sent Alex Carey back to the non-striker's end. The bold call paid immediate dividends, with Green
Green finished with eight sixes in his knock which was the second-fastest hundred by an Australian in men's ODIs.
It eclipsed the speed of Head's hundred 90 minutes earlier by a whopping 33 balls and made Marsh's (off 105 balls) look pedestrian.
But both were top knocks in their own right.
Head and Marsh had Australia off to a flier after the skipper chose to bat for the first time in his international career, racking up 70 runs in the first seven overs.
The pain didn't abate from there for the visitors though, as the Aussies turned their 86-run Powerplay into a double-century opening stand.
Head, who had totalled only 59 runs in his five innings prior to tonight, took some guidance from the playbook of Josh Inglis and peppered the straight boundaries.
Inglis revealed on Friday night he made a conscious effort to stop playing too square of the wicket and Head, always so lethal when given width, hit all bar 19 of his runs in front of the wicket.
The South Australian finished with 142, narrowly falling short of his third 150-plus score in ODIs.
Marsh was out for an even 100 a few overs later, hitting Muthumsay straight up after attempting a slog sweep for the first time in his innings.
It was a controlled knock from the stand-in skipper, who was keen to take advantage of the shorter boundary towards the clubhouse side of the ground, which measured only 64m to the rope.
Marsh's hits inside-out over cover were the highlight of his fourth ODI century, dispatching both spin and pace over the off-side ring to keep SA captain Temba Bavuma searching for alternate plans.
Carey's dynamic 50no off 37 will unfortunately be lost to history somewhat but was vital in lifting Astralia to their highest score on home soil.
The Green-Carey partnership was worth 164 runs from 81 balls with the Mackay crowd finding more voice with each ball that passed the rope in the sunset hour.
South Africa's chase never got going with the returning Sean Abbott picking up the wicket of Aiden Markram in the second over of the reply.
The Proteas had no option but to attack with a required rate of above eight-and-a-half from the outset and lost four wickets inside the Powerplay.
From 4-50 Dewald Brevis played with complete freedom and huge back-to-back sixes off Xavier Bartlett had memories of his blistering 125no in Darwin flooding back.
Adam Zampa copped three big sixes from the 22-year-old tyro, but Brevis' innings came to a close on 49 off 28 when he failed to clear Green on the long on rope.
It was the second of five wickets for Cooper Connolly, included tonight in place of Aaron Hardie, who impressed with his left-arm spin.
He benefitted from some lusty hitting from the SA lower order but he bowled to his field and profited with his maiden five-wicket haul in professional cricket.
Labuschagne didn't bat after sliding down the order but took two fantastic grabs at long on, one diving forward and one leaping narrowly inside the rope.
The Proteas were bowled out for 155 as Australia sealed their second-largest runs victory of all-time in men's ODIs and sunk South Africa to their biggest defeat in the format.
The result in Mackay rounded out an extremely closely-fought series between the nations, with South Africa winning the ODI series 2-1 and Australia claiming the T20s 2-1.
Australia's next assignment is a three-match T20 series in New Zealand at the start of October, while South Africa fly straight to the United Kingdom tomorrow for three ODIs and three T20s against England starting on September 2.
Australia bounced back with a thumping 276-run win in the ODI series finale against South Africa
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