It was just the second time in 43 T20 internationals going back more than five years that Maxwell had bowled his full quota of overs, and he had failed to bowl at all in eight of his previous 15 matches.

This allowed Australia to slot Marcus Stoinis in at No.6 as a batting all-rounder when Australia could easily have played wicketkeeper Matthew Wade at 6 and Agar or Cummins at 7, given their quality in the lower order.

Stoinis was vital in Australia’s victory, scoring an unbeaten 24 from 16 balls as he and Wade (15 from 10 balls) guided Australia home with two balls to spare after South Africa managed just 9/118.

That Australia was chasing such a modest total was largely due to finding a place for Hazlewood and Cummins in the same side.

Bowling a hard Test length, Hazlewood claimed important wickets with the first balls of his first and second overs, the third and fifth of the innings, leaving him with 2-1 from seven balls and reducing South Africa to 3-23.

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Hazlewood finished with 2-19 to be rightly named man of the match given his pivotal impact, while Cummins, nicknamed Winx because of the thoroughbred he is, claimed 1-17 from his four overs off the back of limited preparation,

For Hazlewood, it was further vindication that he should be part of Australia’s best T20 line-up despite being overlooked for much of his career.

The tall, powerful right-armer will be 31 in January yet has played just 18 T20 internationals, and half of those have come since July. Compare this with 55 Tests and 56 one-day internationals, which have collectively netted him more than 300 international wickets.

Hazlewood’s IPL form since joining up with Chennai for the UAE leg of the tournament has been irresistible, claiming 11 wickets in nine matches, including 2-29 as a major contributor to Chennai’s win against Kolkata in the final.

If only Aaron Finch and David Warner can get away at the top of the order, as Warner threatened to do with three boundaries in his 14, Australia will be well-placed to go deep into the tournament.

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