Proteas captain Faf du Plessis and David Miller shared a brilliant 252-run partnership to power South Africa to their highest total in Australia at Hobart in the series-deciding third ODI on Sunday.
The visitors were precariously placed at 55/3 after 15.3 overs when Miller joined his skipper Du Plessis at the crease. The pair initially absorbed the pressure from the Australian bowlers before unleashing their fury in the final 10 overs to lift South Africa to 320/5.
Miller bludgeoned 139 off 108 balls (13x4, 4x6), while Du Plessis contributed 125 off 114 balls (15x4, 2x6). The pair were brutal towards the close of the South African innings, smashing 130 runs off the final 10 overs, which included 40 runs from two overs by Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
Miller had earlier been given out LBW by umpire Aleem Dar, but the decision was over-turned when the Proteas called for the television review. There was controversy surrounding the call due to Du Plessis requesting the review, and not Miller himself initially.
ICC regulations state that “only the batsman involved in a dismissal may request a Player Review of an Out decision and only the captain (or acting captain) of the fielding team may request a Player Review of a Not-out decision."
Earlier, the Aussie bowlers had started well by dismissing Quinton de Kock (1), Reeza Hendricks (8) and Aiden Markram (32) early on, but the Du Plessis-Miller partnership ensured South Africa have an opportunity to clinch the series.