Australia's Glenn Maxwell produced an unbeaten half-century in a tense chase to help the hosts edge out South Africa by two wickets in the third and final Twenty20 International and complete a 2-1 series victory in Cairns on Saturday.

Maxwell's unbeaten 62 off 36 balls helped Australia chase down a 173-run target with one ball to spare in a thrilling decider at the Cazalys Stadium.

After 18 overs of their innings, it was a run-a-ball target for Australia with Maxwell in the middle.

South African Corbin Bosch (3-26) claimed two wickets in the penultimate over and kept Maxwell away from the strike.

Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking su

See Full Page