Aussie paceman Chris Tremain grabbed the best figures of his short one-day international career on Thursday morning (AEST) but it wasn’t enough to save his side from an embarrassing 5-0 whitewash in South Africa.
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The Yeoval product grabbed 3-64 from his 10 overs in the final match of the series but the tourists still lost by 31 runs.
The series finishes as one of Australia’s worst ever, having never failed to secure at least one victory in a five-match bilateral ODI series but there are some memories Tremain will treasure for a lifetime.
There will be a few guys there carrying what happened but there will be a lot of fresh faces.
- Josh Hazlewood
The fifth match of the series will also be one to remember for David Warner after the powerful opening bat scored an incredible 173 in Australia’s total of 296.
Tremain snared the highly valuable wicket of Rilee Rossouw at Newlands, caught by Mitch Marsh, but only after he had smacked 122 runs off 118 balls.
The scalp went along with the likes of Hashim Amla in game four, which proved the former Rugby quick can perform at the international matches.
Tremain played four of the five matches in the series finished as one of three Australian quicks with seven wickets, the best of any tourist.
Tremain also managed to hit 23 runs.
The Australian team now returns home to prepare for the upcoming test series against the Proteas and a host of rested bowlers, headlined by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are set to return.
Hazlewood, himself a country product from Tamworth, ignored much of the criticism the Australian team has endured recently and said the results act as motivation.
"It gives us a lot of motivation," Hazlewood said.
"There's a lot of change to the teams from Test cricket to one-day cricket.
"There will be a few guys there carrying what happened but there will be a lot of fresh faces."
Hazlewood also defended Cricket Australia’s policy of resting players, saying he was all set to go after last playing during the series in Sri Lanka.
"Sri Lanka was a long tour physically and mentally," he said.
"And with a lot of cricket coming up I think the rest was valid."
Meanwhile, Rod Marsh, the man responsible for getting Tremain in the Aussie squad, has stood down as chairman of selectors.
Under Marsh, Australia reclaimed the world No.1 Test ranking but that was relinquished during the recent July-August whitewash in Sri Lanka.