(Cricket News) In a highly tactical contest, Australia reached 215/7 in 47.2 overs after trailing 213 runs. Travis Head struck 62 runs off of 48 balls to reach a half-century for Australia. Josh Inglis (28), David Warner (29), and Steve Smith (30) also received significant criticism for Australia during this time. Both Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi claimed two wickets apiece for South Africa’s bowling unit.
Earlier, Australia applied intense pressure in the first 20 overs and removed their top four players within the first 12, but David Miller nearly single-handedly guided South Africa to a score of 212 with 101 off 116 balls. Australia decided to bat first and came out with their mouths clenched following Temba Bavuma.
With their lines and lengths, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were unrelenting, but the Australian fielders were flying about, stopping nearly everything. As a result, South Africa lost three wickets, including their batting talisman Quinton de Kock, and managed just 22 runs in the first 11 overs. That brought Heinrich Klaasen and Miller, the finishers from South Africa, together in the twelfth over of the innings.
Rain appeared two overs later, and after 14 overs, South Africa was 44/4. After a little more than 50 minutes, the game continued with no overs lost. Before the Proteas launched their counterattack and applied some pressure to the Australians, Miller and Klaasen calmed the ship. In the 31st over, Travis Head removed Klaasen for 47 off 48, bringing the stand to 95 in 113. The very next ball, he got Marco Jansen off, and Australia quickly regained their lead.
After that, Miller had capable company in Gerald Coetzee, with whom he scored 53 runs for the seventh wicket. Miller batted with the tail to eventually put up a gritty century after Coetzee fell for 19 quickly. Shortly after, at 101 from 116 balls, he fell, and in the last over, South Africa were all out for 212.
