South Africa vs. Australia: Winners and Losers from T20 Series

Australia chased down the highest-ever T20I total at Newlands in Cape Town  to clinch a six-wicket win and a 1-2 series victory over South Africa on Wednesday.

Having won the toss and decided to bat first, the Proteas posted 178-4, with Hashim Amla leading the way with his unbeaten 97. The Aussies timed their chase perfectly, though, while Shane Watson and Steve Smith set the foundation from which the rest of the side could build.

This series was meant to be a learning curve for both sides, and it certainly was. We’ve picked some winners and losers from the series. Add yours in the comments.

All information obtained firsthand, unless otherwise stated.

Loser: South Africa's Batting Lineup

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South Africa had suggested before this series that the plan was to have AB de Villiers open the batting with either Quinton de Kock or Hashim Amla partnering him.

While De Kock has the reputation of being a big-hitter in T20s, Amla has scored almost as many runs in three matches in 2016 as he did in 10 fixtures in 2012 (188 vs. 208), the most runs he has ever scored in T20 in a calendar year.

It certainly makes for quite a selection pickle come the World T20 in India, and captain Faf du Plessis was coy about the details at the post-match interview with SuperSport, saying they’ll have to use the two warm-up matches in India to make their final decisions.

Winner: Steve Smith

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While Steve Smith has been getting some decent runs in Tests and one-day cricket, he has struggled in the T20 format.

On Wednesday night at Newlands, it looked like Smith had reignited his T20 fire. He hit 44 off 26 in an innings that included quite a few spellbinding shots.

There’s no better time for the skipper to hit form. and if he can carry this into the World T20, he’ll be one of South Africa’s key players in the tournament.

Loser: David Wiese

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Considering South Africa’s bowling has been dubious overall, barring Kagiso Rabada, it seems somewhat harsh to single out David Wiese, but he really struggled in this series.

He averaged 48.50 in the three fixtures and his economy rate was 9.70. Compared to his average of 17.10 and economy rate of 7.71, it’s quite a contrast.

Winner: Australia's Running Between the Wickets

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Australia’s running between the wickets was exceptional. They constantly put pressure on the fielders, running off almost every ball and making sure that the run rate never got away from them.

They hit just one less boundary than South Africa (21 vs 22), but they made the chase look easy, which is quite a feat considering just how big the total was.

'Loser: South Africa's 3rd Seamer

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David Weise, Chris Morris and Kyle Abbott all struggled to fill the third-seamer role for South Africa. Weise's average was 48.50, Abbott's 68.00 and Morris' 37.00, which is not good news considering the tracks in India are likely to be far more batting friendly than those they have just played on.

JP Duminy’s part-time spin is likely to play a bigger role in the sub-continent and Imran Tahir will be even more effective, but getting the third seamer to stay on point is going to be a challenge.

Winner: The Crowds

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Even if South Africa lost, there has been some really entertaining cricket on show in this series. While entertaining cricket doesn’t always mean good cricket, at least the crowds, who turned up in their numbers, were kept on the edge of their seats almost until the last ball of every game.