Australia crashed to another convincing defeat this time at Mackay as the hosts went down by 84 runs to South Africa. For the second consecutive game, Australia failed to chase a total as they failed to get beyond 200 as well. If it was to Keshav Maharaj in the first game, in this game they fell to the pacers especially Lungi Ngidi. While South Africa had plenty to celebrate, there is a lot to ponder for Australia in ODI cricket and we will list out three reasons for their loss in 2nd ODI.
Losing 3 wickets in the powerplay chasing 278 pegged Australia back.
Australia came back well with the ball and restricted South Africa to 277 and had all the momentum going into the interval. But the ball swung massively under lights and South Africa bowled the lines and lengths. Australia were exposed big time as they lost early wickets. Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne fell very cheaply while Mitchell Marsh hung in there for a while and despite being dropped he too fell inside the first powerplay.
Australia were 39/3 after the first 10 overs compared to 56/2 by South Africa in their first powerplay. While the bowlers of Australia did well to take two wickets, the batters let them down as losing 3 wickets in the powerplay as stats have shown have led to losses more than wins. This meant Australia had to rebuild their innings and could not accelerate straightaway and they let the required rate climb up. Yes, Josh Inglis played a blinder but he had too much to do in the end.
Going forward to the third match if Australia are to avoid the embarrassment of a whitewash, they need to fix their top order batting right as losing early wickets puts the team back and the opposition in control and that’s what exactly happened over here. One hopes Australia learns from this and comeback stronger to avoid the whitewash.
Lack of wickets for Josh Hazlewood a concern for Australia.
Josh Hazlewood has bowled well and managed to keep things tight. But the harsh reality is in 2 ODIs, he has picked up one wicket only and that was today when he picked up Lungi Ngidi who was the last man out. While Hazlewood has kept things tight from one end bowling similar lines and lengths, the other bowlers around him have outshone him.
Since, he is predictable with his lines and lengths, the batters innovated against him and got the runs against him. He went for a few runs today as well but what Australia needs is the wicket-taker in Josh Hazlewood in the absence of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc because he is the senior bowler in the squad now. Josh needs to lead from the front as teams are happy playing him out. So, he needs to device a plan and bowl accordingly.
For all we know with the series decided, Josh Hazlewood might be rested from the next game to manage his workload. But if he plays the next game, then all Australian fans will be hoping that Hazlewood comes back to his best and delivers a match-winning spell in Mackay. Will he get the opportunity to do that remains to be seen.
Form of Travis Head & Marnus Labuschagne a big concern for Australia.
The bigger concern is there in the batting department and in the top 3. While Mitchell Marsh was amongst the runs in the last game and Cameron Green in decent form, the form of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne have been a big concern for Australia. Head did not get any runs in the T20I series and got a nice-looking 27 in the first game. But tonight he fell for just 6 runs which just carries on his lean form. He might be doing a decent job with ball, but with bat which is his primary role, he failed.
Marnus Labuschagne’s concerns are more because he needs runs for himself and the team. He got out for 1 today playing a loose stroke and was out cheaply in the previous ODI as well. He might have contributed with ball in hand, but with his primary job he was a total flop. While Head is a permanent member in Tests and ODIs, same cannot be said off Labuschagne. He needs runs to be in contention for Ashes more so needs runs to help solidify Australia.
With Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis gone from the ODI format, the job lies with senior players like Head and Marnus to do the job. While for Head, it is a blip, Marnus’ form is worrisome and if he continues this way, Australia might well drop him from ODI scheme of things. The team is in a little bit of transition, and Marnus needs to rise to the occasion with bat in hand.
To avoid a whitewash, Australia needs to bat a lot better maybe hope to bat first and then hope the top order comes good to lay the platform for others to do their job rather than loose early wicket. Australia needs Head and Labuschagne in form as soon as possible preferably on Sunday itself in Mackay.
What Lies Ahead.
The stage is set for third and final ODI of the series to take place at Mackay on 24th August, 2025 at 10 AM IST. South Africa will look to complete a whitewash having already won and clinched the series and leading the series 2-0 while Australia will want to win and sign off with pride intact.
So, will South Africa complete the whitewash and win on Sunday? Or will the wounded Kangaroos hit back and keep their pride intact by avoiding the whitewash? Find out all the answers on Sunday.
Also Read: AUS VS SA: 3 Reasons For Australia’s Shocking Loss In 1st ODI.