The 22-year-old, nicknamed “Baby AB” for his likeness to AB de Villiers, smashed an unbeaten 125 off 56 balls to power the Proteas to 7-218 -- a record total against the hosts. 

"Great way to start the series," skipper Mitchell Marsh said after Australia's ninth T20 victory in a row.

The 21-year-old's haul helped Australia crush the Proteas by 111 runs in their opening Twenty20 match in Durban as Mitchell Marsh celebrated his captaincy debut with an unbeaten 92 from 49 balls.

“Marsh has been named as skipper for the South Africa series only, with Cricket Australia yet to commit to a full-time replacement for Finch, who played his final T20 International last October,” Cricket Australia said in a statement