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Kyle Chalmers has given Australia a stunning finish to swimming's world short course championships, anchoring the 4x100m men's medley relay team to a dead-heat world record.

After outstanding swims from his teammates on Sunday night in Melbourne, Chalmers started the last leg with a deficit of 1.3 seconds and was still behind at the last turn.

But King Kyle again lived up to his nickname, powering home to break two records.

The Australian quartet of Isaac Cooper, Joshua Yong, Matthew Temple and Chalmers - and the Americans - clocked three minutes 18.98 seconds, going under the Russian Federation's 3:19.16 that had been the world mark since 2009.

It also meant Australia won a national record 13 golds at the Melbourne short course worlds, bettering the 12 they claimed in the 1995 and 2006 editions.

They finished second on the medal table behind the Americans' 17 golds and Chalmers hailed their gold haul as "incredible".

Chalmers did not swim his 200m freestyle heat on Sunday morning to concentrate on the medley relay.

"You look at the splits ... well, I'm just the guy who carries that home, those three were the ones who carried us over the line and swum amazingly - they're probably the heroes of the movie we created tonight," Chalmers said.

It is Chalmers' third gold medal of the championships following the 100m freestyle and 4x50m freestyle relay.

Despite the deficit at the start of his leg, Chalmers was confident he could reel in American rival Kieran Smith.

"I'm confident every time I dive into the pool - I believe I can win," he said.

"My journey in swimming is going to be until that is lost in me."

Also on Sunday night, compatriot Kaylee McKeown made history with her 200m backstroke win.

She is the first woman to simultaneously hold the Olympic, Commonwealth world long course and world short course titles for the same event.

Compatriot Grant Hackett is the only other swimmer to achieve the same feat, in the 1500m.

"I had no idea and it's pretty surreal. To be up there with someone like him, it's phenomenal," she said.

McKeown was under her own world record pace for much of Sunday night's final but clocked 1:59.26 seconds to fall just short of the 1:58.94 she set two years ago.

American Claire Curzan pushed McKeown all the way and took silver in 2:00.53.

It is McKeown's third gold medal of the championships after she took out the 100m backstroke and was a member of the victorious 4x50m medley relay team.

She finished her championships later on Sunday night with silver in the 4x100m medley relay as the United States broke the world record.

McKeown, Jenna Strauch, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris clocked 3:44.92, but the Americans led throughout to win in 3:44.35 and better their own world mark of 3:44.52.

Canadian Maggie MacNeil opened Sunday night's session with her second world record of the event, smashing the old mark in the 100m butterfly.

MacNeil clocked 54.05 seconds to break the record by a whopping half a second.

She has won all of Canada's three gold medals at the Melbourne worlds.

American Ryan Murphy rubbed further salt into Australia's wound from two nights ago when he completed his sweep of the men's backstroke events.

He added the 200m to his 50m and 100m championships.

Murphy won the 50m title two nights ago on a re-start. Cooper was first in the initial race, but that event did not count because of a timing malfunction and Cooper eventually had to settle for silver.

© AAP 2022

Australia have pulled off a Test victory inside two days for the first time in 20 years by defeating South Africa on a Gabba pitch Proteas captain Dean Elgar criticised as verging on "unsafe".

Needing just 34 to win, Australia stumbled to the target with six wickets to spare as South Africa tearaway Kagiso Rabada (4-13) capitalised on a green, bowler-friendly pitch that appeared harder to bat on the longer the game went.

South Africa sent down 19 extras, including 15 wides, out of Australia's total of 4-35.

It came after South Africa were rolled for 152 when sent in by Australia captain Pat Cummins, while the struggling visitors were all out for 99 in their second innings.

Australia made a modest 218 in their first dig, led by a superb 92 from player-of-the-match Travis Head, but it proved enough against the inexperienced Proteas batting line-up on the green Gabba wicket.

After 15 wickets tumbled on Saturday, the game continued to move at a rapid pace on day two as another 19 fell.

Elgar was disappointed the match was over so quickly and asked the umpires if the pitch was unsafe.

"You've got to ask yourself the question - is that a good advertisement for our format?" he said.

"I am obviously a purist of this format and we want to see the game go to four or five days.

"I don't think it was a very good Test wicket, no.

"I did ask the umpires when KG (Rabada) got Head out down leg, I said 'how long does it go on for until it potentially is unsafe'."

The Gabba pitch is certain to come under a thorough review from the International Cricket Council. However, an India-England Test in Ahmedabad last year that also lasted only two days was investigated by the ICC without any sanction being handed down.

Cummins was surprised Elgar was so critical of the pitch.

"If you're going to lose the match, you'd probably try anything, wouldn't you?" the Australia skipper said.

"There was some sideways movement, a little bit of up and down bounce but, no, it was fine."

Cummins' team will have an unexpected extended break before the Boxing Day Test, where they will aim to wrap up their first series win against South Africa on home soil since 2005-06.

The last time Australia won a Test in less than two days was in 2002 when Steve Waugh's team dismissed Pakistan for 59 and 53 in Sharjah.

The only previous two-day Test played in Australia was in 1931 when the hosts beat the West Indies by an innings in Melbourne.

Cummins finished with 5-42 in South Africa's second innings on Sunday for his eighth five-wicket haul, after he claimed openers Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee, then cleaned up the tail including Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje in consecutive balls.

Scott Boland (2-14) produced another double-wicket over by removing wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen to finish with four for the match as he tries to keep Josh Hazlewood, who could be fit for the MCG Test, out of the team.

Star quick Mitchell Starc (2-26) became just the seventh Australian to take 300 Test wickets when he bowled Proteas No.3 Rassie van der Dussen with a classic in-swinger.

Temba Bavuma (29) showed some resistance before he was out lbw to spinner Nathan Lyon, while Khaya Zondo finished unbeaten on 36 for his best Test score.

Australia lost 5-73 before lunch to be all out with a 66-run first-innings lead.

Rabada finished with eight wickets for the match to take his Test tally in 2022 to 45 in a rare bright spot for South Africa.

The Proteas' firebrand set the tone for South Africa, removing under-pressure Australia opener David Warner twice, including for a golden duck with the first ball of Australia's first innings.

"(Rabada) is a massive figure for us, not just in our bowling group but in our 16-man squad," Elgar said.

"Hopefully that can inspire our batting unit to get their heads right and to knuckle down and get some performance under their belt for us."

© AAP 2022

A man has been arrested in Croatia and flown back to Australia after skipping court more than a decade ago.

The 43-year-old was flown into Western Australia on Friday night and was due to face Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday over drug charges.

He was originally due to face the same court on October 27, 2010 for one count of possession of a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply.

But he was a no-show and police now believe the man had already fled Australia by boat earlier that month.

WA Police Force commander Gordon Fairman said the man is believed to have travelled to countries including Indonesia, Netherlands, England, Spain and Greece.

He is believed to have changed his name multiple times and obtained a British passport in one of the aliases.

But justice finally caught up with the man earlier this year.

In August 2022 he was arrested by Croatian authorities at Dubrovnik airport thanks to an Interpol Red Notice - comparable to an international police warrant.

"For 12 years we have continued the investigation into this man's disappearance, and despite the measures he took to hide and change his identity, we never gave up the search for him," Cmdr Fairman said.

The commander also thanked Australian Federal Police in Serbia and the United Arab Emirates for their help, as well as other international counterparts.

© AAP 2022