Proteas collapse to hand Aussies win

The match in a tweet: The Proteas let it slip! South Africa lose final seven wickets for 42 after Warner century powers Australia to 288

The result: Australia 6-288 (Warner 109, Khawaja 59, Smith 52no, Tahir 2-45) beat South Africa 252 (Du Plessis 63, Amla 60, Starc 3-43, Hazlewood 3-51, Zampa 3-52) by 36 runs

The collapse: It's hard to fathom just how South Africa let this one slip. The Proteas were cruising at 3-210 in the 38th over, needing 79 to win from the final 12 overs to complete a victory that appeared a near-certainty for most of their run chase. But the wicket of AB de Villiers, bowled by Josh Hazlewood with a hint of reverse swing for 39, sparked an extraordinary collapse of 7-42 and handed the Aussies an unlikely victory. Some sensational bowling from Mitchell Starc and leg-spinner Adam Zampa proved to be the difference, Zampa claiming three wickets in three overs to turn the match Australia's way.

The turning point: The dual threat of left-armer Starc and leggie Zampa proved too much for the Proteas lower order, the pair claiming five wickets between them in just six overs to steer the Aussies to victory. It started when Zampa trapped Farhaan Behardien LBW in the 41st over before he claimed the big wicket of JP Duminy in his next over, the left-hander holing out in the deep for 41. 

Starc then ripped out Kyle Abbott's off-stump before Zampa struck again, inducing a loose shot from Warne Parnell who perished at mid-on. A sensational catch from substitute fielder Glenn Maxwell at backward point, who plucked the ball one-handed above his head, gave Starc another and made it nine down, meaning the match was Australia's to lose. A run out ended the match, Imran Tahir's bat over the line but not grounded when Matthew Wade's direct hit broke the stumps, handing Australia a 36-run win.

The century-maker: Such is David Warner's current form, he could easily lay claim to being the best batsman in the world right now. Having batted in the middle order during Australia's unsuccessful World T20 campaign, the left-hander has been in irrepressible form ever since he returned to the opening position for the recent Indian Premier League. Having captained his side to IPL glory, Warner has returned to national duty with scores of 55no, 1 and 109 here today, the latter his sixth ODI century and his 22nd at international level. 

Warner's record since a self-imposed alcohol ban 12 months ago has been extraordinary; he's scored four centuries, including his first double-hundred, in 15 Tests at an average of 55 and passed 50 seven times from 12 attempts in ODI cricket. He crunched 11 fours and two sixes at the aptly named Warner Park on Sunday, laying the platform for a late surge that never quite arrived.

The stat: This was Warner's sixth ODI century, his first outside Australia and his first against the Proteas. In nine one-day internationals this year, the left-hander has posted scores of 5, 93, 122, 12, 98, 16, 55no, 1 and 109, an average of 64.

The injury: Warner ended the match off the ground after copping a knock on his left index finger diving for a catch at backward point, a blow that sparked initial fears that he had re-injured the left thumb he broke last year. A Cricket Australia spokesman said the opener will be re-assessed in the next 24 hours.

The selections: There were raised eyebrows aplenty at the toss when the two sides revealed their final XIs, with a total of three spinners making way after the slow bowlers found plenty of purchase in Guyana last week. That Australia dropped one frontline spinner in Nathan Lyon and brought back strike bowler Mitchell Starc was far from a surprise, but the omission of off-spinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell for George Bailey left captain Steve Smith with just one main tweaker - leggie Adam Zampa - and five frontline bowlers, including allrounder Mitchell Marsh. It was a vastly different approach to that of the Proteas, who carried a three-man spin attack of Imran Tahir, Aaron Phangiso and JP Duminy - who sent down 25 overs between them - and surprisingly left out chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who had so impressed on his international debut in Georgetown.

The run machine: When you think of the world's great one-day batsmen, the name Hashim Amla is not one that immediately springs to mind, especially for those outside South Africa. But as the Proteas star showed tonight, he should be acknowledged as one of the most dominant 50-over batsmen of his generation. Amla's innings of 60 was his 30th half-century in ODIs to go with 22 hundreds, an extraordinary record in just 134 matches from a man who, aged 33, still has years of run-scoring left in him. With 6,319 runs from 131 innings, he remains well on track to surpass Virat Kohli and countryman AB de Villiers to become the fastest man to reach the 7,000-run milestone in ODIs having already claimed the record for every thousand-run milestone between 2,000 and 6,000. He's a run-machine who just keeps on delivering.

The cameo: Having surprisingly been dropped from Australia's 20-over side just weeks out from the World T20, wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade has a full series here in the Caribbean to re-establish himself as Australia's No.1 gloveman in limited-overs cricket. Having missed out against the Proteas in Guyana - like most of his teammates - Wade gave Australia's spluttering innings some impetus with an impressive late cameo. The left-hander found the boundary thrice in his 14-ball stay at the crease, two of which were deftly flicked over his head off paceman Kagiso Rabada, before he attempted the shot a third time and was incorrectly given out LBW for 24, the absence of an available review contributing to his dismissal. It was only a small contribution, but it was exactly what Australia needed in the final overs.

The wash-up: Australia's incredible comeback victory has shot them to the top of the tri-series standings ahead of their final match in St Kitts, against the West Indies on Tuesday morning (AEST). The Aussies will then head to Barbados for the final leg of the series, while the Proteas will stay in St Kitts to face the Windies on Thursday.