By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Dewald Brevis scored an unbeaten 125 from 56 balls with 12 fours and eight sixes, propelling South Africa to 7-218 before Australia struggled to 165 in front of another noisy near-capacity crowd on Tuesday night.
South Africa’s victory levelled the three-match series at one-all and ended Australia’s record nine-game winning streak.
The deciding match will be played in Cairns on Saturday before a three-match one-day series between the teams in Cairns and Mackay.
“I’m extremely grateful, just happy to be out here on the winning side,” said Brevis, who surpassed Faf du Plessis’ 119 against the West Indies in 2015.
Playing just his ninth T20I, Brevis smashed eight sixes to leave Australia’s powerful batting line-up with an uphill task.
Australia’s daunting chase was made more difficult after the early wickets of opener Travis Head (five) and Cameron Green (nine).
Australia’s hopes rested with in-form Tim David, fresh off his match-winning 83 in their 17-run victory in the series-opener at the same venue.
Promoted to No 4, David started with a trio of boundaries and then bludgeoned several massive sixes, including one that landed on the roof.
But his 24-ball assault ended on 50 when he hit spearhead Kagiso Rabada straight to cover.
Australia’s chase ran out of steam, bowled out for 165 in the 18th over with quicks Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka picking up three wickets each.
“Chasing that down was always going to be tough and we needed a few partnerships, which we couldn’t do,” Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said.
The Proteas had struggled to fire in the opening game, but captain Aiden Markram signalled his intent with a sublime boundary off the first ball of the innings, rattling quick Josh Hazlewood.
But Markram (18) fell tamely to a fired-up Glenn Maxwell, who celebrated another wicket when he had Lhuan-dre Pretorius (10) stumped to leave South Africa in trouble.
Likened to legendary Proteas batsman AB de Villiers, Brevis turned the innings on its head to power past his previous highest T20I score of 41.
Brevis received a life on 56 when substitute fielder Matthew Kuhnemann fumbled on the boundary off the bowling of an increasingly frustrated Maxwell.
Brevis made Australia pay and in a flash he was saluting the crowd after reaching his century with a boundary off his 41st delivery.
Maxwell and quick Ben Dwarshuis picked up two wickets apiece in an unusually ragged effort in the field for Australia, whose nine-match T20 win streak ended.