South Africa ran all over Australia in the first one-day international in Perth on Sunday, 4 November, winning by six wickets with 20.4 overs to spare.
Dale Steyn was at his impervious best. He returned 2/18 in seven overs as Australia were bundled out for 152 after they were asked to bat.
The South Africa batters then coasted to the target, despite Marcus Stoinis taking 3/16, with Quinton de Kock (47) and Reeza Hendricks (44) putting on a 94-run opening stand.
Steyn had Travis Head caught behind in the third over and then induced another edge off D’Arcy Short, which Faf du Plessis claimed at second slip.
Aaron Finch, the captain, managed just 5 as Australia collapsed. Chris Lynn managed 32-ball 15, Glenn Maxwell an eight-ball 11 and Stoinis a run-a-ball 14, but Andile Phehlukwayo had each of them dismissed to leave the home side tottering at 66/6.
All the while, Alex Carey, the wicketkeeper-batsman, fended off the South African pacemen, stoically scoring a 71-ball 33. He added 23 with the seventh wicket with Pat Cummins, and when Nathan Coulter-Nile joined him thereafter, Australia managed to arrest the slide for a bit.
Coulter-Nile then looked to counter-attack – his 31-ball knock comprised five fours and a six – and his 34 helped Australia cross 150. That was never going to be sufficient. De Kock and Hendricks saw to that.
Hendricks was happy to absorb pressure and run the singles, even as de Kock plundered at the other. De Kock scored a 40-ball 47 in a 94-run opening stand, putting away seven boundaries en route.
Stoinis added Aiden Markram (36 off 32) and Heinrich Klaasen (2) to his victims list, but South Africa eased to the target with 124 balls to spare.
The second ODI of the three-match series will be played on Friday in Adelaide.
