Matthew Breetzke stood tall when it mattered most and scored a blazing second ODI ton to help South Africa recover from a sluggish start to post 297/8 in 50 overs. Matthew Breetzke needed support, and he got that from Marco Jansen, who made 75 off 59 balls while the others chipped in here and there. It was a special recovery from the Proteas against the Aussies.
Australia had their moments, with Nathan Ellis picking up 3 wickets alongside Adam Zampa picking up 2 wickets. The rest of them were average at best. The pitch is flattening out, and this ODI can go either way. South Africa have got the runs on the board.
Australia removes both the openers in the power play
Put into bat first, keeper-batter Quinton de Kock came out to open the batting with Tony de Zorzi while Mitchell Starc had the ball in hand for Australia. Starc bowled a good first over. Josh Hazlewood shared the new ball from the other end. He bowled a maiden to start things off. Starc continued as de Kock broke the shackles by swaying away and slashing it to the third-man fence for a boundary.
Hazlewood drew first blood for the visitors as de Zorzi fell for a 7-ball duck, edging to Matthew Renshaw, who took a good catch at slip. Captain Temba Bavuma came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Australia wasted a review against Bavuma for LBW as the ball went over the stumps. Starc continued as Bavuma pressed forward and drove it past covers for a boundary. Hazlewood continued as de Kock took him on by shuffling across and heaving it away over deep backward square leg for the maximum. Starc continued and conceded a wide ball.
Starc gifted 4 wides to the batting side. Ellis hurt his knee but got up immediately without any discomfort. Nathan Ellis came into the attack next. He struck straightaway as he dismissed de Kock, the other opener, for 14 off 18 balls with one four and one six to his name as the edge found Inglis behind the stumps. Matthew Breetzke came out to bat next. Breetzke leaned forward to drive straight down the ground for a boundary.
Hazlewood came back into the attack to change ends as Breetzke got on top of the bounce and punched it through the point region for a boundary. Ellis continued and bowled the final over of the power play. He bowled a tight 10th over as South Africa reached 40/2 in 10 overs with Bavuma unbeaten on 9 off 25 balls alongside Breetzke’s unbeaten 9 off 10 balls as the first phase of the game came to an end.
Matthew Breetzke leads South Africa’s fightback; Australia chip away at the wickets to keep the Proteas under check at the halfway stage of the game
Josh Hazlewood continued to start the middle phase of the game, and he bowled a tight over. Debutant Jack Edwards came into the attack next. He bowled a tight first over. Hazlewood continued as Breetzke broke the shackles with a press forward drive past mid-off for a boundary. The 50 came up for South Africa in 13 overs. Edwards continued as Bavuma pressed forward and drove over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Bavuma showed intent now as he stood tall and pulled it away over midwicket for a boundary.
South Africa reached 60/2 in 14 overs when we paused for the Drinks Break, the first of the day. Adam Zampa came into the attack next. He bowled a decent first over. Cooper Connolly came into the attack next as Bavuma took him on as he rocked back to the short and wide ball to play a late cut and got it past short third man for a boundary. Zampa continued as Breetzke stayed leg side of the ball and lunged forward and sliced it between backward point and point for a boundary.
Ellis came back into the attack next as Breetzke punched the ball between point and the backward point region for a boundary. The 50-run stand came up between the two batters. Zampa continued and broke the budding stand as he removed captain Bavuma for 30 off 48 balls with 4 fours to his name as Bavuma chased at the wide ball and gave his wicket away. Ryan Rickelton came out to bat next. He got off the mark soon while Breetzke took on Zampa by rocking back and muscled the ball over deep midwicket for the maximum.
Ellis continued and bowled a decent over as South Africa were 93/3 in 20 overs. Starc came back into the attack next. He bowled a decent over on his return to the bowling attack. Matt Renshaw came into the attack next. Breetzke took him on as he got underneath it to launch it inside out over extra cover for a boundary as the 100 came up for South Africa in 21.2 overs. Starc continued as Rickelton was on the charge as he flicked it away over deep backward square leg for a boundary. Rickelton then went through the off-side as he cut it past the diving point fielder for a boundary.
Edwards came back into the attack as Rickelton got the outside edge that flew wide of the keeper and way to the third-man fence for a boundary. Rickelton took on Edwards as he drove it past the bowler down the ground past mid-off for a boundary. Adam Zampa returned to bowl the 25th over of the innings. Zampa broke the threatening stand as he removed Rickelton for 27 off 26 balls with 4 fours to his name as he was holed out in the deep by Renshaw, who took the catch really well.
David Miller came out to bat next and played out the last 3 balls of the over to end the 25th over. At the halfway stage of the game, South Africa were 125/4 with Breetzke unbeaten on 46 off 48 balls while Miller was unbeaten on 0 off 3 balls as we entered the halfway stage of the innings.
Matthew Breetzke leads South Africa’s fightback despite losing David Miller with the match in the balance after 40 overs
Renshaw continued to start the second half of the innings as Breetzke got down on one knee and pumped it over the bowler’s head for a boundary as he brought up his 7th ODI fifty in exactly 50 balls. Zampa continued and bowled a decent over. Jack Edwards returned to the bowling attack as Miller survived a close LBW call as he was given NOT OUT, and even after the use of DRS, the umpire’s call saved the batter.
Zampa continued as Breetzke drove it between covers and point for a boundary. Breetzke was in the zone as he pulled it between mid-wicket and long-on for a boundary. Starc tried to save it, but his foot hit the ropes. Edwards continued as the 150 came up for South Africa in 29.2 overs. South Africa were 152/4 in 30 overs when we paused for another Drinks Break, the second of the innings.
Hazlewood came back into the attack post the break as Breetzke picked up the length quickly and pulled it away over deep square leg for the maximum. Edwards continued as Breetzke leaned forward and drove it past mid-on for a boundary. Hazlewood continued and bowled a really tight over. Ellis came back into the attack, and he broke the partnership as he dismissed Miller, out of sorts, for 9 off 25 balls. Marco Jansen came out to bat next.
Mitchell Starc returned for another spell and bowled a probing over. Ellis continued and bowled a decent over. Starc continued as Jansen broke the shackles as he pressed forward and drove it past mid-on for a boundary. Ellis continued and bowled another tight over. Adam Zampa came back into the attack as Jansen took him on and pressed forward and tonked it over cow corner for the maximum. Jansen went big again as he got down on one knee and slog swept it over deep midwicket for the maximum. The 200 came up for South Africa in 39 overs.
Jack Edwards came back into the attack to bowl the 40th over of the innings. Jansen welcomed him back as he got on top of the bounce and punched the short ball past backward point for a boundary. Edwards delivered a wide ball. South Africa reached 208/5 in 40 overs with Breetzke unbeaten on 84 off 91 balls alongside Jansen unbeaten on 31 off 25 balls, as we now entered the last phase, the death overs phase of the game.
Matthew Breetzke’s ton & Marco Jansen’s brutal half-century powers South Africa to 297/8 in 50 overs
Mitchell Starc came to bowl the 41st over as Jansen cleared his front leg and hoicked it over deep square leg for the maximum. Jansen was in the zone as he stayed leg side of the ball and clubbed it over the bowler’s head for a boundary. The 50-run stand came up between the two players. Edwards continued and bowled a decent over. Hazlewood came back into the attack as Breetzke broke the shackles as he stood tall and opened the bat face and punched it over backward point for a boundary.
Nathan Ellis came back into the attack as Jansen stood tall and whipped it away towards long-on for a boundary. Starc continued as Breetzke lifted the ball over short fine leg for a boundary and moved to 98*. Soon, Breetzke reached his second ODI ton off 100 balls, and it was a special innings indeed. Jansen then got to his half-century off 46 balls as the fielder in the deep, Connolly, dropped a tough chance at wide long-on. South Africa were 243/5 in 45 overs.
Hazlewood continued as Breetzke cut loose as he moved across to the line and sliced it over short third man for a boundary. Hazlewood bowled a wide while Breetzke ramped the ball between the keeper and short third man for a boundary as the 250 came up for South Africa in 45.3 overs. Hazlewood finished his spell as well. Ellis came back into the attack as Jansen took him on as he lunged forward and nailed the cover drive for a boundary past extra cover for a boundary. Australia gave away an overthrow as well before Jansen clubbed the bowler downtown for a boundary straight as an arrow. Jansen went big as he pummelled the ball over the bowler’s head for the maximum.
The 100-run stand came up between the duo. Edwards continued as a wicket came Australia’s way via a run-out as Breetzke’s innings came to an end for 112 off 106 balls with 14 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Corbin Bosch came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. With 2 overs to go, Australia were penalised for a slow over rate. Ellis continued as Bosch got an inside edge past the stumps and away to the fence for a boundary. Jansen got into the act as he sliced the ball past backward point for a boundary.
Ellis came back well as he got rid of Jansen LBW for 75 off 59 balls with 7 fours and 4 sixes to his name, as that was plumb in front. Gerald Coetzee came out to bat next. Edwards came to bowl the final over, where Coetzee took him on and slapped it up and over deep extra cover for the maximum. Coetzee was then run out for 6 off 4 balls with a maximum to his name. Bjorn Fortuin came to face the final ball of the innings and got off the mark with the final ball of the innings.
Bosch remained unbeaten on 9 off 6 balls with one four to his name while Fortuin was unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 14 extras were given by Australia as the Proteas ended with a competitive 297/8 in 50 overs.
Australia bowled well before being put under pressure. Nathan Ellis was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/57 in 10 overs. Adam Zampa finished with 2/50 in 7 overs. Josh Hazlewood finished with 1/50 in 10 overs. There were two run-outs in the innings. Mitchell Starc finished with 0/60 in 10 overs. Jack Edwards on debut finished with 0/56 in 10 overs. Cooper Connolly finished with an over for 7 runs. Matt Renshaw finished with 2 overs and 11 runs he gave. This now means Australia needs 298 runs to win off 50 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series.
Who’s Winning, South Africa or Australia?Â
South Africa recovered from a sluggish start to put a more than competitive 297/8 in 50 overs. Australia let it slip a bit in the end. Having said that, the pitch is flattening out and Australia will fancy their chances to chase this down, but they have to bat well. This game can go either way; South Africa have to bowl well with a depleted bowling attack. But the hosts have the runs on the board.
An intriguing second half of the first ODI is ahead of us.
Also Read:Â SA vs AUS: South Africa & Australia Face Off In Epic Series