(Cricket news) South Africa defeated Australia by 111 runs in the third One Day International on Tuesday at the JB Marks Oval to win its first game of the five-game series. Aiden Markram’s century and an effective spin attack were key factors.
After being given the opportunity to bat, Markram scored 102 not out to help the home team reach 338-6. Australia responded with 227 and was able to bowl out the opposition with 15 overs left.
A quick Australia reaction was put to an end by the spin of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, who both claimed two wickets. The runout of David Warner and subsequent giving out of Tim David following a review of a catch that appeared to have been dropped but was upheld by the fourth umpire after a TV review gave South Africa some luck, though.
As luck would have it, Markram’s second ODI century came when he was dropped in the deep on 95, enabling him to reach the three-figure mark. But after losing its way in the middle of the innings, it was a crucial innings that helped South Africa reach a formidable total.
When Quinton de Kock was defeated by Travis Head’s off-spin and holed out for 82 runs, it got off to a raging start. De Kock and captain Temba Bavuma put on a 146-run opening stand.
Immediately after, Bavuma went for 57, and when Australia pinned them back, the home team’s run rate significantly decreased. When David Miler left cheaply in the 42nd over, they were 244-5. However, Markram resurrected the innings and secured a challenging goal with some strong hitting in the final overs.
However, it didn’t appear to bother the visitors as Australia raced to 104-1 from 10 overs as they started their reply on a chilly night, thanks in large part to Warner and Head’s ability to knock the ball to all parts of the ground.
However, the match changed when Warner fell, misplaced his shoe, and was run out by Maharaj’s dead-eye toss despite a dejected dive. Marnus Labuschagne, who had been named player of the match in Australia’s previous two ODI matches, was stumped off Shamsi’s delivery for 15, and David was ruled out despite the fact that backup fielder Bjorn Fortuin appeared uncertain about whether he had successfully caught George Coetzee’s delivery. Replays on television weren’t convincing either.
The tail was then tidied up by Seamer Coetzee, who finished with figures of 4–50. After Friday’s match, the sides travel to Pretoria in preparation for Sunday’s series finale at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
