Following their 3-0 success in the T20I series against South Africa, Australia began the 50-over series against the hosts with a nail-biting three-wicket victory in Bloemfontein on Thursday.
Australia discovered an unexpected hero in Marnus Labuschagne, who batted beautifully as a concussion substitute to hit an undefeated 80 runs from 93 deliveries and lead his team to victory. South Africa had a lot to answer for after all their batters failed, save for captain Temba Bavuma’s gallant attempt. The teams will meet again in Bloemfontein on Saturday for the second ODI.
After losing the T20Is, South Africa was anticipated to perform better in the ODI series. They have, however, gotten off to a bad start. Captain Temba Bavuma batted brilliantly and scored 114* from 142 balls. Unfortunately, save from Marco Jansen (32 off 40 balls), with whom he had a 57-run sixth-wicket stand, Bavuma didn’t get much help from the other end. South Africa were eventually bowled out for 222.
Marnus Labuschagne’s reaction to being left out of Australia’s World Cup squad and the opening ODI lineup in Bloemfontein was nothing short of amazing. Acting as a concussion replacement for the injured Cameron Green, who was hit by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer during the sixth over, Labuschagne onto the field with Australia down by 72 runs, chasing a target of 223. However, Labuschagne and Ashton Agar engineered a stunning comeback, collecting an unbroken 112-run partnership in 145 balls—a new Bloemfontein record for the eighth wicket—and securing an important victory.
Australia found themselves in an awkward situation with seven wickets down and around 100 runs still necessary in pursuit of a modest yet demanding target on a tricky pitch. With their explosive opening spells, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi smashed the top-order hitters. As the ball tired down, the surface became easier to bat on, and Ashton Agar and Marnus Labuschagne led the team home.
This pace three will undoubtedly make life difficult for Australia in the next match, especially when the ball is new.
Bavuma has been steady for some time now, and we expect him to put forth another strong performance in the next ODI. Aiden Markram (459 runs at an average of 57.38 and a strike rate of 112) should do well in this game as well. Markram struggled in the first ODI, but he is technically good enough to survive on these wickets.
South Africa will also look for some useful runs down the order from Marco Jansen, who has proven to be a good batsman.
South Africa
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Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaassen, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee, and Keshav Maharaj.
After this great performance, it would be exciting to watch if Australia selects Labuschagne in the following ODI.
Travis Head looked impressive with his 33 off 28 balls before being removed by Ngidi. Head has been Australia’s most productive batsman, scoring 362 runs in his previous seven games at an average of 60.33 and a strike rate of 115. As a result, it would be prudent to back him in this encounter.
Mitchell Marsh, who has scored 291 runs in his last six outings at an average of 58.2 and a strike rate of 122, will be trying to make amends for his failure in the first ODI. The all-rounder has had a fantastic summer and has shown excellent timing with the ball.
Australia’s bowling was excellent in the opening ODI, with Josh Hazlewood standing out with figures of 3-41. Sean Abbott, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar, and Adam Zampa all performed an excellent job of containing. South African batters would have to be watchful of Hazlewood and Abbott on this pitch.
Australia
Mitch Marsh (c), Alex Carey (wk), David Warner, Cameron Green/Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Josh Inglish, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Josh Hazlewood, Ashton Agar/Spencer Johnson, and Adam Zampa.
Match Details | ||
Match | South Africa vs Australia, 2nd ODI | Australia tour of South Africa 2023 | |
Date | 09/09/2023 (Thursday) | |
Time | 16:00 (GMT+5) / 16:30 (GMT+5.5) / 17:00 (GMT+6) | |
Format | ODI | |
Venue | Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein | |
Recent performance | South Africa – L W W W L | Australia – W W W L W |
Mangaung Oval
Because the pitch will be difficult to bat on, the captain who wins the toss prefers to bat first and put scores on the board.
The weather will be clear, with temperatures ranging from 32 to 14 degrees. Rain is not a major issue.
The pitch in the first match proved difficult to hit. The bounce was variable, and some balls took off from length. 250 can be a reasonable total to defend, and this wicket is surely not one that can score 300.
South Africa has won four of their last five games, while Australia has won only one.
Winning the toss
Player of the Match
Most runs
Most wickets
Most sixes
Team Scores Batting First
According to cricket analysts, Australia has a 55.1% chance to win.
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