Mackay [Australia], August 24 (ANI): Australia's opening batters finally found their rhythm on Sunday in the third and final ODI against South Africa as Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh scripted history, adding 250 runs for the opening pair.

Marsh and Head achieved this feat in the third ODI against South Africa at Mackay. The duo added a staggering 250 runs for the opening wicket, just falling short of the all-time record for Australia by 34 runs.

This is the fifth-highest opening partnership for Australia in ODI cricket, and it's the first one in which David Warner isn't included. In 2017, Warner and Travis Head scored 284 runs for Australia's first wicket in Adelaide against Pakistan.

Head was dismissed on 142 runs off 103 balls, while his partner and Australian skipper Marsh was removed for 100 off 106 balls. Head completed 8000 international runs during his innings, while Marsh also completed ODI runs.

Head has slammed 8024 runs in 177 matches at an average of 40.73 and a strike rate of 85.87 with 12 hundreds and 42 fifties under his belt across all formats. On the other hand, Marsh has smashed 3000 ODI runs in 96 fixtures at an average of 37.03.

Fireworks continued after the duo was dismissed as all-rounder Cameron Green slammed the second-fastest hundred in ODI for Australia, after Glenn Maxwell's 40-ball ton in the 2023 World Cup against the Netherlands. Green took 47 balls to figure three figures.

He remained unbeaten on the crease at the end of Australia's innings, slamming 118 runs in just 55 balls, including six fours and eight sixes. His 164* runs partnership with wicketkeeper/batter Alex Carey powered Australia to register 431/2, their second-highest total in ODI history.

With South leading the three-match ODI series, they will require some extraordinary batting to clean sweep Australia. (ANI)