Keshav Maharaj's five-for powers South Africa to 98-run win over Australia in Cairns

Aug, 25 2025

Australia were 60 without loss and cruising. An hour later, they were all out for 198, 98 runs short. The difference? Keshav Maharaj, calm as ever, produced a career-best 5-33 to rip the match away and hand South Africa a 1-0 lead in the ODI series in Cairns. It was his first ODI five-for and the sort of spell that flips a game, a series, and maybe a few old assumptions about how to win in Australia.

South Africa’s total looked competitive rather than imposing. The pitch never screamed quick runs, and the outfield made batters work for every boundary. Australia started smartly, taking few risks against the new ball and pocketing routine singles. Then Maharaj took over, working from one end with craft rather than pace, and everything changed.

The turning point: from 60/0 to all out

The game pivoted on control. Maharaj didn’t chase wickets. He set them up. He pinned batters on a tight line, gave nothing on length, and forced mistakes with subtle changes in pace. The first breakthrough broke the opening stand and cracked the rhythm. The second nicked off a set batter who misread the dip. By the time Australia tried to counterattack, they were already behind the rate and playing low-percentage shots.

What stood out was how repeatable the threat looked. Maharaj’s overs felt like a pressure valve turned the other way. He drew batters forward, then dragged them across the crease. Edges carried. Mis-hits found fielders. The middle order, usually the insurance policy in a chase, turned into a procession.

On a surface that gripped just enough, South Africa’s plans were simple. Keep mid-off and mid-on in play. Bowl into the pitch. Make the slog dangerous and the drive risky. When Australia tried to sweep, the bounce wasn’t predictable. When they went straight, the ball didn’t quite arrive. Maharaj cashed in on all of it.

He didn’t do it alone. The seamers up front set the tone by denying freebies, and the support at the other end meant Australia couldn’t milk singles to break the squeeze. South Africa’s catching was clean, and the ground fielding saved the kind of twos that kill pressure. Once the collapse began, it felt inevitable.

For a chase that began so smoothly, the numbers told a harsh story. From 60 without loss to 198 all out is a swing driven by discipline more than magic. Maharaj’s five wickets arrived in clusters that stalled momentum and then wiped it out. Australia ran out of time and wickets at the same time—a brutal combination.

Why this five-for matters

First, the milestone. This was Maharaj’s first ODI five-wicket haul, and it came with his best figures in the format. For a veteran who has built his reputation on control across formats, this was a statement: in white-ball cricket, on grounds that traditionally suit pace, a left-arm orthodox spinner can still win the day.

Second, the setting. Cairns hasn’t always been kind to visiting spinners, and Australia rarely lose at home when their top order starts well. That context makes the collapse more telling. Spin wasn’t a change-up here—it was the plan.

Third, the timing. South Africa needed early authority in this series, and they got it. A 1-0 lead changes the tone in the dressing room and the selection meeting. It validates a method that leans on control through the middle overs rather than all-out pace. It also hands Australia questions they didn’t expect to be answering before the second ODI: how to play the ball turning away, how to rotate strike when singles are blocked, and who takes responsibility when the innings stalls.

South Africa’s batting, while not headline-grabbing, set up the win. They built with partnerships instead of fireworks, pushed the game into the 40th over, and trusted their attack to defend. The late-innings push was enough to turn a par score into a defendable one. Once Maharaj found his groove, that cushion looked bigger with every over.

For Australia, the start was promising, the finish jarring. They’ll point to shot selection, but the real issue was the scoreboard freeze. When singles dry up, risk rises. South Africa engineered that scenario and never let go.

There’s also a broader angle. ODI cricket often gets framed as a power game: hit hard in the first ten, surge at the death, accept the dip in the middle. Maharaj flipped that script. He made the middle overs the match-defining phase, and in doing so reminded everyone that the skill to choke runs can be as valuable as the ability to blast them.

So, one game in, South Africa hold the edge and their senior spinner has the ball on a string. Australia will adjust—they always do—but they’ll have to plan for more than pace. They’ll need answers for flight, drop, and drift, because those 10 overs in the middle didn’t just decide a game. They drew the map for the rest of this series.

Maharaj walked off with the ball and the numbers, but the bigger prize is how South Africa won: patience with the bat, discipline with the ball, and clarity in the field. In a format that rewards structure, they nailed theirs. And when the moment asked for nerve, their left-arm spinner supplied it in a spell that will sit in the memory for a long time.