2023 ODI World Cup: South Africa beat Australia by 134 runs in Lucknow
2023 ODI World Cup: South Africa beat Australia by 134 runs to move to the first spot in the points table. On the other hand, Australia’s path to the World Cup semi-finals has become a bit difficult after losing two matches in a row.
Even a few days ago, if cricket experts were asked who would make it to the last four of the ICC World Cup 2023, 80 to 90 percent of experts would have put Australia among the favorite teams. They were five-time world champions and the depth of Australia’s squad. But it has been proved in the first two matches of the Aussies that cricket is not based on strength but on the basis of on-field performance. Smith and Pat Cummins left the field after losing six wickets against India in Chennai. They did not win against South Africa today. For the first time in the history of the ICC World Cup, Australia lost four consecutive matches (Australia lost the last two matches of the 2019 World Cup).
Cummins won the toss and elected to bowl first. Australia had to burn a lot of wood today to get wickets. The opening partnership was broken at the end of 108 runs. Starc, Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins could not stop Quinton de Kock from bringing Temba Bavuma back into the dressing room. The 19th ODI century of his career came from his bat. Aiden Markram also scored a half-century. Lucknow did not have a batting paradise like Delhi. Despite this, the Proteas had no problem adding 311 runs to the scoreboard in the stipulated fifty overs. In reply, the Australian batting broke down like a house of cards in front of the Lungi-Jansen-Rabada trio. Apart from Marnus Labuschagne, no attempt at resistance was seen by any specialist batter. In the end, the Aussie innings was bowled out for 177 runs. South Africa won their second consecutive match by 134 runs.
2023 ODI World Cup: De Kock’s century shines for South Africa
Quinton de Kock has said that he will retire from one-day cricket after the ICC World Cup 2023. The Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman today made it clear that he is determined to make the end memorable. He scored a century against Sri Lanka in the first match. He also crossed the three-figure mark against Australia today. He was seen batting aggressively from the start. He scored 109 off 106 balls today. His total runs in the two matches stands at 209. South Africa’s de Kock is currently the highest run-scorer in the World Cup, replacing Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan. The left-handed opener hit 8 fours and 5 sixes in his innings. Temba Bavuma scored 35 and Rassie van der Dussen scored 35 and 26 respectively.
Aiden Markram was seen taking charge of the Proteas innings in the middle order. He is currently in dream form. In the last match, Kevin O’Brien also made the record for the fastest century in the World Cup. Even today, Dhundhuma’s batting is seen from him. He scored 56 runs in 44 balls with the help of 7 fours and 1 six. Heinrich Klaasen scored 29 off 27 balls. Marco Jansen and David Miller were also seen playing an effective role in the lower order. Jansen’s 26 and Miller’s 17 helped South Africa cross the 300-mark. Starc and Maxwell took two wickets each for Australia. Cummins, Hazlewood, and Zampa took one wicket each. Today, the Aussies had six catches on the field. Which surprised the cricketing world.
ICC World Cup: Labuschagne fights, Australia’s batting fails miserably-
The Proteas fast bowlers did not even give Mitchell Marsh and David Warner time to settle down for twenty-two yards. In the fifth ball of the sixth over, Mitchell Marsh was brought back by Marco Jansen. He scored zero against India and 7 against South Africa today. Warner’s innings, which was in rhythm, did not go far today. Lungi Ngidi dismissed him off the last ball of the seventh over. He returned to the dressing room with 13 runs off 27 balls. Steve Smith has been seen taking Australia out of difficult situations many times. But today he has failed. Kagiso Rabada’s ball found Steve Smith’s pad. He returned with a 16-ball 19. Kagiso Rabada found a rhythm on the Indian pitch today. He today took 3 wickets for 33 runs in 8 overs.
Marnus Labuschagne was seen desperately trying to keep the sinking Australian boat floating. He shared a 59-run partnership with Mitchell Starc to reduce the margin of defeat a bit. After taking two wickets, Mitchell Starc scored 27 runs with the bat. Labuschagne did not last long after breaking the partnership with Jansen. He was the victim of Keshav Maharaj for 46 off 71 balls. Pat Cummins hit several boundaries while batting at number eight. But it only entertained the spectators present on the field and did not have much impact on the outcome of the match. He had to stop after scoring 22 runs off 20 balls. The innings ended when Hazlewood returned as Shamsi’s second victim. Once again, the Australian camp had to leave the field with the title of defeat.