One of the worst days in South Africa’s ODI history. The Proteas were bundled out for 69 runs while batting first in 1993, but this defeat is right up there when it comes to an all-time low result. For South African fans, the feeling of déjà vu hit as Australia scored 431 runs, just three runs shy of the famous 434 in 2006.
But in the end, all South Africa got was the bad part of the deja vu. Because the historic chase never happened. Instead, the Proteas registered their biggest ever defeat in ODIs with respect to run margin. That humiliating defeat to India in the ODI World Cup 2023 doesn’t look that bad now, as Australia has beaten them by 276 runs in Mackay.
Biggest margin of defeat in ODIs for South Africa
| Margin of defeat | Target | Opposition | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 276 runs | 432 | Australia | 24 Aug, 2025 |
| 243 runs | 327 | India | 5 Nov, 2023 |
| 182 runs | 336 | Pakistan | 11 Dec, 2002 |
| 180 runs | 321 | Sri Lanka | 20 Jul, 2013 |
| 178 runs | 300 | Sri Lanka | 12 Aug 2018 |
South Africa ended up winning the ODI series, as they were 2-0 up even before the final match of the tour. But this loss will leave a bad taste in the mouth despite challenging Australia throughout the series. Proteas captain Temba Bavuma opened up about the difficulty of finding the perfect balance in ODIs.
“We were under the pump from the first innings. They put us under pressure. They made it look like a very good surface. They were far better than us. It’s about assessing the conditions. It’s a big learning curve for all of us. We need to find the balance between playing high-risk and the batsmanship. We are not close at the moment. We didn’t play close to our hundred percent. We need to keep learning from our mistakes. We have time as a team before the next World Cup,” Bavuma said after the match.
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