South Africa suffered an early setback in the second ODI against Australia at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg after Aiden Markram was dismissed off the very first ball. Josh Hazlewood produced the breakthrough, with Cooper Connolly taking a sensational one-handed catch at cover point to send the South African opener back without scoring.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and opted to bowl first, and Hazlewood immediately justified the decision. The Australian pacer bowled a short delivery outside off stump, which Markram attempted to hit in the air. The ball bounced slightly, but Connolly timed his jump perfectly to complete a stunning catch.
The dismissal came after South Africa had taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. The Proteas won the opening match by 67 runs after Australia suffered a dramatic middle-order collapse. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head had provided a strong 90-run opening partnership, but Australia slipped from 129/2 and were eventually bowled out for 230.
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For Markram, the first-ball dismissal created an unwanted record. He became the sixth South African batter to be dismissed from the first delivery of an ODI innings. The list includes Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla and Janneman Malan, while Markram became the latest name after his dismissal against Hazlewood in Johannesburg.
Markram’s stay was cut short immediately thanks to this grab pic.twitter.com/GyDosOkhQW
— Werner (@Werries_) September 27, 2026
Interestingly, this was also the first time Hazlewood had dismissed Markram in international cricket. Before this match, Markram had enjoyed a strong record against the experienced Australian pacer, scoring 82 runs from 72 deliveries across nine innings at a strike rate of 113.9. He had previously managed to dominate the contest without losing his wicket.
Aiden Markram vs Josh Hazlewood:
Innings: 9
Runs: 82
Balls: 72
Dismissals: 1
Strike rate: 113.9
Dot-ball percentage: 54.1
South Africa soon lost another wicket, with Quinton de Kock also dismissed inside the powerplay. Temba Bavuma and Matthew Breetzke were then tasked with rebuilding the innings and taking the hosts towards a competitive total. South Africa reached 51/2 after 10 overs.
The second ODI is also being played as Pink Day, an annual South African cricket initiative aimed at raising awareness and funds for breast cancer detection and treatment. Bavuma highlighted the significance of the occasion while acknowledging the challenge posed by Australia’s new-ball attack.
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“Yeah, I think it can. We’re just going to have to adapt to what is in front of us,” Bavuma said during the toss, as quoted by Cricbuzz. He added that players look forward to wearing pink and supporting the cause, saying the match provides an important platform to raise awareness about breast cancer.
