Thursday’s celebration of South African heritage was given added lustre by a Proteas performance that offered skill and resilience and ensured a perfect start to their busy summer.
Victory by 67 runs over Australia in Durban in the first of three one-day internationals was the result of another delightful demonstration of Matthew Breetzke’s batting talent, Marco Jansen’s awesome all-round abilities, Keshav Maharaj’s intelligence and Temba Bavuma’s outstanding leadership.
The Proteas were missing two crucial members of their attack, while the absence of Aiden Markram — expected to return at the Wanderers on Sunday — meant they had to fiddle with their batting lineup.
But Breetzke, who is starting to make the No 4 spot his own, produced a mature innings that provided the backbone for what turned into a winning total of 297/8.
With competition for middle-order places so stiff, Breetzke’s 112, his second ODI century, sent a message to SA’s selectors at the start of a summer in which many players are on trial.
Breetzke’s innings contained several exquisite strokes through the off-side.
His shot selection was pure and balanced with the requisite intensity, which helped to shift the momentum of the home team’s innings after a shaky start.
A bad shot from Tony de Zorzi and an excellent delivery from Nathan Ellis, which found Quinton de Kock’s outside edge, left the Proteas on 29/2 in the eighth over.
The rebuilding of the innings between Breetzke and Bavuma involved taking quick singles, mixed with some good drives.
But the pitch, which offered help to the seamers in the first innings, was not easy for scoring, justifying Mitchell Marsh’s decision to bowl.
The absence of Australia’s full-time captain Pat Cummins did not matter initially, though he would have enjoyed operating on that Kingsmead surface in the morning.
Bavuma was understandably annoyed after working hard to reach 30 but edging the 48th ball he faced, from leg-spinner Adam Zampa, to the wicketkeeper.
Ryan Rickelton, offered the opportunity to display his versatility by batting at No 5, scored 27 off 26 balls, but failed to find the middle of the bat when attacking a short ball from Zampa and was caught at midwicket.
Like Bavuma, David Miller also struggled with his rhythm and timing at his home ground, scoring nine off 25 balls.
Breetzke looked assured, but needed to forge a partnership to give the Proteas innings some heft.
That came in combination with Jansen, who produced a stroke-filled innings that included four sixes, and saw him match his career best with 75.
Crucially, it relieved some of the pressure borne by Breetzke, who was able to celebrate a second ODI century, which included 14 fours and a pair of sixes.
The sixth-wicket partnership worth 107 saw SA add 89 runs in the last 10 overs, which Marsh said afterwards was a major turning point.
The touring side’s innings started amid a fury of thunderous hitting from Marsh, who belted half a dozen sixes, one of which landed in the road.
They reached 96/1 at the end of the first power play, with Marsh needing just 36 balls for his 60.
But his dismissal provided an opportunity for the South Africans to create some pressure.
Jansen picked up the crucial wicket of Travis Head and the introduction of Maharaj and Bjorn Fortuin further changed the course of the innings.
Whereas Australia’s seamers found assistance in the first half, by the time the Proteas spinners started, the surface had dried and the ball gripped.
Maharaj was superb. He had already used his control of flight to flummox Marsh, and then got several to turn, one of which caught the edge of Australian debutante Jack Edwards’ bat.
Fortuin dismissed the impressive Cooper Connolly for 38 and Josh Inglis.
Jansen, having already taken one good grab at slip, produced what may remain the catch of the season, a remarkable one-handed diving effort on the cover boundary, to end Matt Renshaw’s innings, and finish the match as a contest.
It had not been the best bowling performance by the Proteas.
The seamers struggled with their line, but bouncing back in the manner they did, given the players not available to them in this series, will be a significant boost ahead of a season in which there is so much at stake.
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