POTCHEFSTROOM: South Africa`s win over Australia on Tuesday came as a major relief after a run of successive defeats threatened their confidence before next month`s World Cup, said man-of-thematch Aiden Markram.

Markram`s century and a successful spin attack saw South Africa beat Australia by 111 runs in the third One Day International at the JB Marks Oval on Tuesday to win their first match of the five-game series, after losing all three matches of the Twenty20 series against Australia that preceded it.

Markram hit 102 not out as he propelled the hosts to 338-6 after they had been put in to bat. South Africa survived a furious assault by David Warner and Travis Head before bowling out Australiafor 227 with 15 overs to spare.

Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi both took two wickets as their spin halted a brisk Australia response.

`I think there is a lot of relief involved. We pride ourselves on being a really competitive cricketing nation and when you don`t play up to those standards, it affects the human as well as the cricketer,` Markram told a press conference.

`So when you get a good result, it means a lot to us. And it`s nice to know that we`ve got the character to turn it around in a must-win game tonight.

There are a lot of positives that we can take forward and a bit of relief as well.

Australian captain Mitchell Marsh said the loss was `a little slip-up` in conditions which are likely to be repli-cated during the World Cup in India next month. `Hopefully we learnt a lot from it,` he said.

Quinton de Kock (82) andcaptain Temba Bavuma (57) gave South Africa an ideal start with an opening stand of 146 in 22.5 overs.

But Australia were able toslow down the scoring, with part-time off-spinner Travis Head making good use of a slow, dry pitch to bowl unchanged and take two for 39 in 10 overs.

Markram and Marco Jansen gave the innings late impetus with a sixth-wicket partnership of 63 off 31 balls which was ended by a sensational diving left-handed catch by Sean Abbott on the cover boundary off Nathan Ellis.

The tourists looked on track for another win when Warner and Head thrashed 79 for the first wicket off only 48 balls.

Australia were 104 for one at the end of the 10-over power play, the second time in a row they reached three figures while fielding restrictions were in place.

But left-arm spinners Shamsi (2-29) and Maharaj(2-37) changed the course of the match on a spin-friendly pitch before fast bowler Gerald Coetzee (450) finished off the Australian innings.

Maharaj also made a key intervention in the field with a direct-hit run-out of Warner,who made 78 off 56 balls before slipping and losing his shoe as he set off for a single.

The next meeting between South Africa and the Australians is in Pretoria on Friday with the last game of the series in Johannesburg on Sunday. -Agencies