South Africa and Australia typically produce some high-scoring action on the cricket pitch when they face each other, and this encounter was no exception.
Australia captain Pat Cummins expressed surprise over their close defeat at Ekana Stadium. He complimented the South Africa National Cricket Team vs Australian Men’s Cricket Team match scorecard, noting the impressive performance of the Proteas bowlers.
The Scorecard
After giving South Africa an early lead in their first-innings contest at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Australia managed to regain their composure in an electrifying contest at Ekana Cricket Stadium. Australia faced an initial target of 312 and were initially struggling, yet captain Mitchell Marsh and Tim David held firm with some stellar batting performance from early on in this pulsating contest.
Both openers reached their fifty-centuries easily but soon parted ways; Rabada caught De Kock off Rabada caught behind down leg side for 92 off 24 balls while debutant Aaron Hardie played an exceptional cameo innings, striking six and four consecutive deliveries before being dismissed in the penultimate over for 23 off 16 balls.
With their bat, South Africa made steady progress and reached 234/4 in 45.4 overs, Heinrich Klaasen and Jaaneman Malan contributing a crucial fifty-run stand to their final wicket partnership of 96 – but their hopes of victory were dashed when Australia bowler Josh Hazlewood struck in the penultimate over.
Early on in the match, Australian captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc seemed poised to guide their side towards an impressive total but were soon bowled by Proteas bowlers in quick succession. David Warner then fell for a duck when mistiming a short ball from Ngini to van der Dussen at cover point – misjudging its length could have had dire repercussions for any innings that followed.
Australia were slow and inconsistent in their batting as they declined from 69/1 to 77/6, as Glenn Maxwell was controversially dismissed after striking out at Ngini for one before Hendricks was caught at long-on for 52.
Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Starc have held firm at the crease but are running short of partners as they chase down an impressive total. While it will come down to the wire eventually, five-time champion Australia are struggling against India at Wanderers Stadium on Friday – they now have lost two matches thus far at this World Cup! Stay tuned!
The Toss
South Africa and Australia share one of the oldest cricketing histories in the world, boasting one hundred eight meetings between them since 1872, with South Africa coming out ahead with 54 wins against 50 wins for Australia in recent matches. Both nations enjoy an intense rivalry that often produces memorable contests.
Ekana Stadium offered bowlers plenty of bounce and seam movement, creating an extremely difficult batting environment. Australia have struggled mightily so far in this tournament with their bat, needing nothing short of a miracle to reach their target of 315 runs.
South Africa elected to field first and were rewarded with an exceptional bowling performance from their bowlers – Ngidi, Jansen and Rabada all did an outstanding job of frustrating Australian batsmen with excellent pace and accuracy from their bowlers. Even after losing three wickets early, South Africa managed to force their way toward a competitive total score.
Australia were in trouble after 8.1 overs, needing 312 runs for victory without showing any sign of resistance from their batters. But in the final couple of overs they made an intense push with Cummins and Aiden Markram both contributing. When things looked lost for Australia it was Markram who saved Australia with an astounding near run-a-ball 63 off just 87 balls!
The Proteas held their nerve to reach a World Cup final for the first time, defeating Australia in an exciting match. Both teams now advance to face either England or India in Saturday’s final. Kyle Abbott, former South African cricketer, noted that in order to break their semifinal curse and claim their first World Cup trophy.
This game was an exciting encounter and will surely remain so until its conclusion on Day 5. For South Africa to win against Australia on Day 5, they must play their best cricket with performances by captain AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock and David Miller being of paramount importance.
The Bowling
South Africa are looking to build on an impressive run in the round-robin phase to make an impression in this stage of the tournament. They currently stand as one of four teams with two wins but they face an old enemy when facing Australia in this semi-final clash; their last meeting took place at Eden Gardens last year and was marred by tension, leading to Steve Smith and David Warner being banned for one year each. Both sides look different this time round though; without Steve and David at Eden Gardens will bring newfound maturity on to both teams’ performances on to be displayed.
JP Duminy brings an exciting, different style of opening batting to Proteas cricket, offering an aggressive yet fearless style to his game that stands in stark contrast with some of their regular openers. Additionally, his composure has made an impressionful statement this season both in T20Is and ODIs; and as an opponent for such a formidable Australian lineup he should relish this chance to shine against such formidable opposition.
South Africa’s early success can be credited to their bowlers: Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi have provided excellent support to their quick-bowling teammates while their spinners, such as Tabraiz Shamsi trapping Marnus Labuschagne LBW and Glenn Maxwell picking up two leg before wickets consecutively in consecutive overs – key figures indeed in South Africa’s success thus far.
Richard van der Dussen made an extraordinary catch that could win him the tournament award: He dived quickly to grab Marsh’s off stump from flight while it was still airborne, just inches to his right of the cover fence, but RvD had the presence of mind to dive and come away with this precious possession.
After a brief rain delay, play has resumed in Kolkata. South Africa are hoping to gain momentum with their bowling in their run chase, however Adam Zampa’s introduction caused South Africa to suffer another setback as Heinrich Klaasen was out LBW for 23 (14), leaving South Africa needing 51 from their final over – this promises an intriguing encounter!
The Batting
South Africa had an outstanding performance during both the group stage and Super Eight phase, yet suffered an agonising defeat against Australia in the semi-final. Glenn McGrath led Australia’s bowling attack with 3/18 to end South Africa’s tournament prematurely.
South Africa would take their victory into the final against Rohit Sharma and India, where they hope to make amends for their semi-final loss and build momentum ahead of this crucial contest against an Asian powerhouse.
Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma appeared to set South African innings off quickly with an opening partnership of 108 runs; however, Temba Bavuma was run out in the 20th over by Pat Cummins’ superb catch at mid-on and run out for no score – leaving South Africa keen on keeping momentum and reaching their target of 272 within an efficient timeframe.
Hendrick Klaasen and David Miller will lead South Africa as they work their skills against Australia’s powerful bowling attack. Both batsmen are known for their big hitting ability and can score quickly when needed; both will look to put pressure on Australian batsmen early and ensure they do not lose wickets too frequently.
In recent ODIs against Australia, South Africa have shown impressive form in recent meetings; winning six out of eleven meetings while losing only three. Furthermore, Australia have struggled against South Africa this tournament, and will need a win at Ekana Stadium to advance.
South Africa will field an all-star line-up featuring Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Hendrick Klaasen, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee Keshav Maharaj Andile Phehlukwayo And Tabraiz Shamsi for this important matchup against Australia in Johannesburg. They hope to add some ruthlessness into their game and break through Australian resistance; after already scoring the fastest ODI century against Sri Lanka they hope to repeat that performance against them as soon as possible! Having scored this feat against Sri Lanka they hope they are capable of accomplishing similar results against Australia – after recording what may well become one of these batsmen is hoping achieving it against Australia.
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