The Australian tour of South Africa 2025 began in an action-packed encounter at Darwin's Marrara Cricket Ground, as Australia beat South Africa by 17 runs in the first T20I. A dazzling performance from one man, Tim David, was the turning point, which built a tough target that the Proteas, though with great efforts, could not overtake. South Africa won the toss and elected to bat, which seemed to be paying off early. The Australian top order never really ignited, with openers Mitchell Marsh on 13 off 7 and Travis Head on 2 off 7 getting out without much of a challenge. Josh Inglis walked without scoring, and even the in-form Glenn Maxwell could score just 1 off 5 balls to put Australia in trouble. But the middle order brought much-needed momentum. Cameron Green brought fire to the innings with a 35-run fury from only 13 deliveries, charged with 4 fours and 3 sixes, demonstrating his wrecking potential. But the real savior of the Australian innings was Tim David. Entering the game at a pivotal moment, David launched a magical attack against the South African bowlers, blasting 83 runs from only 52 balls. Read also: India Wins Thrilling Test, Prioritizes Victory Over Points His innings was a demonstration of power-hitting, with 4 fours and an astonishing 8 sixes, single-handedly turning the tables in Australia's favor. Support from Ben Dwarshuis (17 off 19) and Nathan Ellis (12 off 11) towards the lower order saw Australia hit a decent total of 178 before being bowled out on the last delivery of their 20 overs. The South African bowling unit had flashes of brilliance. Young left-arm pacer Kwena Maphaka was the pick of the bunch, tearing through the Australian top order to take a stunning 4 wickets for only 20 runs off his four overs, showing great promise. Kagiso Rabada brought important breakthroughs with 2 wickets for 29 runs, while Lungisani Ngidi (1 wicket for 34), George Linde (1 wicket for 26), and Senuran Muthusamy (1 wicket for 24) also took wickets, but Corbin Bosch was expensive in that he did not take a wicket for 44 runs.