Overview:
Travis Head hammered 142 while Mitchell Marsh added 100, and together their centuries powered Australia to a massive first-innings total.
Travis Head lit up the third ODI against South Africa with a blistering knock of 142 from just 103 balls. In doing so, he crossed the landmark of 2000 runs as an opener in one-day internationals and did it at a strike rate no other opener with 2000-plus runs has matched.
Across 43 matches at the top of the order, Head has now accumulated 2042 runs with a blistering strike rate of 117.62 — the best of any opener in ODI history to reach that milestone.
Australia got off to a flying start as Travis Head and opening partner Mitchell Marsh tore into the South African bowlers. Travis Head hammered 142 while Mitchell Marsh added 100, and together their centuries powered Australia to a massive first-innings total.
Although South Africa had already secured the series with victories in the first two encounters, Australia looked determined to hit back in the third game.
Cameron Green added to the onslaught with his maiden ODI hundred, forming a valuable partnership with Alex Carey that helped push the total even higher.By the end of the innings, Australia posted 431, their second-highest score in ODI cricket.
Openers with the highest strike rate in ODIs (min. 2000+ runs):
| Strike Rate | Batter’s |
| 117.62 | Travis Head |
| 105.98 | Jonny Bairstow |
| 105.53 | Jason Roy |
| 104.72 | Virender Sehwag |
| 102.74 | Brendon McCullum |
