Australia vs South Africa LIVE Score, 2nd T20I: Mitchell Marsh Wins Toss, Opts To Field

We are all set for the game to begin! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of Australia.

Australia (Playing XI) – Mitchell Marsh (C), Travis Head, Alex Carey (WK) (in for Josh Inglis), Cameron Green, Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott (in for Nathan Ellis), Adam Zampa, and Josh Hazlewood.

South Africa (Playing XI) – Aiden Markram (C), Ryan Rickelton (WK), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen (in for George Linde), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, and Nqabayomzi Peter (in for Senuran Muthusamy).

Aiden Markram, the captain of South Africa, says that there was a lot of dew in the first game, so they would have bowled first as well. Adds that the wicket was good in the first game and they need a big score on board to put Australia under pressure. Shares that they also need to respect bowlers, have a look at the condition, and set the score from thereon. Closes by adding that Rassie van der Dussen and Nqabayomzi Peter come in for Senuran Muthusamy and George Linde.

Mitchell Marsh, the captain of Australia, says that they will bowl first. Adds that they saw a lot of dew in the second half of the last game and reckons that it was a great defensive effort from the bowlers in the previous game. Mentions that they have a couple of changes in the team with Sean Abbott coming in for Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis is out with the flu and Alex Carey comes in to replace him.

Toss Update – Australia have won the toss and Mitchell Marsh opts to BOWL.

Batting first, Australia got off to a brisk start but suffered a flurry of wickets, slumping to 75/6 by the eighth over. However, a brilliant counter-attacking knock of 83 off 52 balls helped them recover and post a competitive total of 178. With the ball, Josh Hazlewood and Ben Dwarshuis impressed, picking up three wickets each, while Zampa and Maxwell kept things tight through the middle overs. Australia enters this clash on the back of a record-breaking nine consecutive T20I victories and will be keen to extend that streak.

With the series hanging in the balance, South Africa will be desperate to turn things around, while Australia eye an unassailable 2-0 lead. Can the Proteas fight back, or will the Aussies wrap it up with a game to spare? Toss and team news coming up shortly. Stay tuned!

South Africa, on the other hand, showed plenty of fight in the series opener but eventually fell short by 17 runs. Kwena Maphaka was the standout performer with the ball, returning excellent figures of 4/20, ably supported by Kagiso Rabada’s two wickets. In pursuit of 179, the Proteas lost early wickets but were brought back into the contest by a 72-run stand between Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton. Rickelton stood tall with a valiant 71, but his efforts weren’t enough to take them across the finish line.

Hello and a very warm welcome to our coverage of the second T20I in the three-match series between Australia and South Africa, from the TIO Stadium in Darwin. After clinching the opening game, Australia will be aiming to ride the momentum and seal the series with another win. Meanwhile, South Africa will be eager to bounce back and level things up at 1-1.

When the stakes are HIGH and the margins are THIN, every ball is a battle. The 2nd T20I at TIO Stadium, Darwin, promises nothing less than a fierce duel as Australia look to seal the series after a hard-fought 17-run win in the opener. South Africa, meanwhile, are staring at a do-or-die situation, where one wrong step and the series slips away. Expect no half-measures, just an all-out contest where reputations will be tested under the Darwin lights. Australia’s first game was a mixed bag – explosive yet fragile. They stormed through the Powerplay with 71 runs but paid the price with early wickets. Tim David’s counterattacking 83 off 52 balls was the glue that held the innings together, turning what could have been a modest score into a match-winning 178. Cameron Green’s 13-ball 35 was another spark, but the middle order faltered. With the ball, Josh Hazlewood and Ben Dwarshuis led the way with three wickets each, ensuring that despite South Africa’s late resistance, the target remained out of reach. For the Aussies, consistency is the keyword, as they’ve got the firepower, but it’s about firing in sync. For South Africa, the script in Darwin began with a wobble and ended with a sigh. Apart from Ryan Rickelton’s patient 71 and Tristan Stubbs’ 37, the rest struggled to get going. The Powerplay cost them three key wickets, leaving too much for the middle and lower order. The bowling had its bright spots, especially Kwena Maphaka’s four-fer and Kagiso Rabada’s discipline, but lapses in the middle overs allowed Australia to wrest control. In this second match, they’ll need more partnerships, better shot selection under pressure, and sharper execution at the death – both with bat and ball. The TIO Stadium pitch has already shown its dual nature, where it is good for strokeplay if you survive the new ball, but tricky enough to keep bowlers in the game. Darwin’s conditions can turn the tide in a handful of overs, making momentum shifts inevitable. Australia will bank on their power-hitters to repeat the David-Green show, while South Africa will draw hope from their bowling depth and the belief that they were only a couple of partnerships away from winning the first game. With the series hanging in the balance and pride on the line, this clash promises more than just runs and wickets, and it’s a test of nerve, adaptability, and who blinks first. Who will come out on top? Will Australia clinch the series? Or will South Africa bounce back and level the series? Let’s find out soon!