Australia pull off record run chase

The match in a tweet: T H R I L L E R! A world-record partnership of 161 by Warner and Maxwell help Australia chase down 205 from the final ball!

The Bull

He was raging. In his new role at No.4, Warner provided the patience, the power and the performance to hand Australia a remarkable win. The vice-captain was savage on anything dropped short, climbing all over any attempted bouncer and sending it beyond the boundary. But what Warner did best was suppress the spin of Imran Tahir. Tahir was outstanding on Friday night on a dry, turning deck in Durban, but on a road at the Wanderers, the leg-spinner wasn't nearly as effective and Warner made him pay. The 29-year-old clubbed Tahir almost exclusively on the leg-side, and to be more accurate, between long-on and mid-wicket. He finished with 37 runs from the 14 balls he faced from the leggie, taking three fours and as many sixes with him. It took another special delivery from Rabada to end his stay on 77 from 40 balls, but the damage was done.

The Big Show

He hates that nickname, but Maxwell produced his best knock for Australia in T20 cricket when his side needed it the most. With a daunting target ahead of him when he walked to the crease in at 3-32 in the sixth over, Maxwell was on song from ball one, clobbering anything within his hitting zone, which is vast to say the least. Known for his innovative stroke play, Maxwell was relatively orthodox for most of his innings, hitting with the spin and picking the gaps. But with his mojo flowing, you knew the party tricks would come out sooner rather than later, and what a trick it was – a reverse-ramp flip that flew one bounce into the third man fence. He produced one more audacious shot – this one a more textbook, if you can call it that, reverse sweep off Chris Morris – before his brilliant innings ended going for another boundary, out for 75 off 43 balls.

The consolation effort

Faf du Plessis put on a magic show for the packed Wanderers crowd. Starting with his regular routine, the Proteas skipper banished his sixth ball to the boundary before making his seventh disappear into the deep square leg crowd. It was then time for du Plessis himself to disappear, pocketing singles and the odd two to misdirect the Australians' focus on his batting partners and not the hidden punch line that would deliver a knockout blow. His final trick came right at the end of the performance, producing 38 runs out of nowhere, including 20 in the final over, to shock and delight his captivated audience.

The support cast

After missing out in game one on Friday, James Faulkner proved why he's in Australia's best T20 XI with a terrific display of limited-overs bowling. Australia captain Steve Smith called upon his trump card in the eighth over and it paid immediate dividends – Faulkner bowling the rampant Quinton de Kock. Faulkner's full repertoire was on display, delivering yorkers, cutters, slower-balls and bouncers. He finished with 3-28 from four overs and kept South Africa's total from ballooning into world record territory. 

The catch

Stunning. Jaw-dropping. Outrageous. However you want to call it, Rabada's ridiculous catch is one of the all-time greats. Fielding in the shadows of the Centenary Stand at third man, Rabada misjudged Steve Smith's skied top-edge off Dale Steyn, making the catch even more impressive. Initially judging the catch would land before him, Rabada back-pedaled when he realised the ball was sailing over his head. In desperation, the 20-year-old threw up his right mitt and reeled in the ripper, sending the crowd berserk and his teammates streaming in to congratulate him.

The delivery

It was some match for Rabada. Steaming in from the Corlett Drive End, he produced an unplayable yorker to castle Aaron Finch, who was nowhere near it. The missile was clocked at 148.3kph, and two overs later was recorded at 150kph. Move over Dale Steyn, there's a new pace ace in town!

The stat

The Warner-Maxwell stand of 161 was the highest fourth-wicket partnership ever in T20 international cricket, and helped avoid Australia slumping to their sixth consecutive defeat, which would have been an unwanted record.

Quick single: Records tumble at the Wanderers

The debut

Ashton Agar was handed his maiden T20 cap by David Warner, coming in for Adam Zampa. With only nine T20 overs under his belt this summer, Agar was brought into the attack in the 13th over, conceding just the five runs – all singles. It earned him another over, and despite copping some serious punishment from David Miller (2,4,6,2,6) the left-armer had the last laugh as an attempt at a third six dropped into the hands of Glenn Maxwell at long-off from the last ball of his second, and last, over.

The wash-up

With the series locked at one-all, both sides head to Cape Town for the decider. Expect more changes to both sides in their last international hit-out before the World T20.