In a one-sided series-deciding game at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa secured a resounding victory, prevailing over Australia led by Mitchell Marsh by a substantial margin of 122 runs. Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to bowl first, in response to which South Africa posted a competitive total of 315-9 in their 50 overs.
Markram, Miller 109-run Partnership Provides Stability
South African Captain Temba Bavuma was dismissed early for a mere 0, falling victim to a run-out by Labuschagne. Quinton de Kock contributed 27 runs before Nathan Ellis claimed his wicket. Rassie van der Dussen’s soft dismissal left South Africa at 80-3. Heinrich Klaasen, the hero of the last match, could only manage 6 runs before Adam Zampa found redemption. However, the turning point came with a healthy 109-run partnership between Aiden Markram (93 runs off 87 balls) and David Miller (63 runs off 65 balls).
Marco Jansen and Andile Phelukwayo power hitting in death overs
South Africa unleashed a flurry of runs in the death overs, amassing 102 runs in the last 60 balls, thanks to Miller, Marco Jansen, and Andile Phelukwayo. Jansen and Phelukwayo contributed 47 and an unbeaten 39 runs, respectively. Despite Adam Zampa’s valiant attempt to restrict the Proteas to a sub-300 total with a double strike in his last over, dismissing Gerald Coetzee and Keshav Maharaj, Phelukwayo had other plans.
In a riotous display of power-hitting, Phelukwayo bludgeoned 24 runs in the final over of the innings, featuring three towering sixes and a boundary. This late surge propelled South Africa’s total to an imposing 315, leaving their opponents with a challenging target to chase down.
Jansen and Keshav Maharaj clinch 9 wickets together, bundle out Aussies for 193
Marco Jansen set the tone by dismissing David Warner and inexperienced Josh Inglis for 10 and 0 in the same over. However, a resilient 90-run partnership between Australian Captain Mitchell Marsh (71 off 56) and Marnus Labuschagne (44 off 63) briefly halted South Africa’s progress. Jansen’s remarkable spell continued as he claimed his fifth wicket by sending Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey back to the pavilion with only 2 runs to his name. This marked Jansen’s first-ever five-wicket haul in ODI cricket.
Keshav Maharaj, too, played a pivotal role, finishing off the Australian innings with his left-arm orthodox bowling. He dismissed Tim David for a mere 1 run and accounted for the wickets of Cameron Green (18), Sean Abbott (23), and Adam Zampa (5). Jansen’s final bowling figures stood at 8-1-39-5, while Maharaj wrapped up the series with a match-winning spell of 9.1-2-33-4, helping South Africa secure a convincing victory by restricting Mitchell Marsh led-Australia to just 193 runs.
All Ends Well for Proteas
After a disheartening start, South Africa’s cricket team made a remarkable turnaround. They suffered a whitewash in the T20I series against Mitchell Marsh led-Australia, losing 3-0, and found themselves on the wrong end of the first two ODIs. However, the Proteas bounced back as they clinched the home ODI series of 5 matches by winning back-to-back 3 ODIs, each win by a margin of over 100 runs, and won the series by 3-2. Moreover, Australia had never lost back-to-back ODIs by 100-plus runs before this streak.
Quinton de Kock bid farewell to bilateral ODIs on his home turf, setting the stage for his final appearance in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which begins on October 5th. South Africa’s first World Cup match is against Sri Lanka on October 7th in Delhi. Meanwhile, Australia will face India in India in another 3-match ODI series before their World Cup campaign, which will led by their full-time Captain Pat Cummins instead of Mitchell Marsh.
Ultimately, Fell Short with the Bat – Mitchell Marsh
In the post-match presentation, Australian Captain Mitchell Marsh acknowledged the missed opportunity and emphasized their batting struggles. He credited South Africa’s impressive batting display and expressed optimism for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023. Despite the challenges faced during the tour, he commended his team’s efforts but admitted that South Africa had outplayed them in the last three matches of the series.
“Certainly a missed opportunity. Few guys going down is challenging. Ultimately, fell short with the bat. Couldn’t build partnerships. We’ll have to sit down and go through that. We have an ODI in India. We want to be positive at the top,” said Mitchell Marsh.
“Our bowlers have lacked ability to take wickets at the top. Hats off to South Africa, they batted really well. We had a great tour but unfortunately couldn’t get over the line. There’s a big world cup in front and we are looking forward to that. A few more grey hairs due to captaincy but they have outplayed us in the last three,” he added.
Also Read: SA vs AUS: Heinrich Klaasen & David Miller Lead Proteas to A Thumping Win Over Australia