South Africa has won their first game in the five-match One Day International series against Australia by 111 runs at the JB Marks Oval. The win came as a relief after a run of successive defeats, which threatened their confidence before next month’s World Cup.
The home side gave a composed batting performance. Openers Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock, both scored half centuries and provided a solid base. However, South Africa lost their way in the middle as Australian bowlers made a comeback with big wickets Klaasen and Miller. Aiden Markram then had other plans who played some of the most beautiful shots and allowed Proteas to post a winning total on board.
Chasing 339, Australia was 104-1 after the powerplay, and the momentum changed at 157-2 in the 19th over when David Warner went for a single but slipped, lost his shoe, and still ran but dived too late, resulting in a run-out by a direct throw from Maharaj. From thereon, South African bowlers, particularly Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, built pressure on batters and strangled them for runs.
Warner made 78 off 56 balls. Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis were stumped, and Australia, at 178-5 in the 24th over, was in deep trouble. The pressure was too much, and Coetzee grabbed four of the last five wickets to have 4-50, but Shamsi and Maharaj were the architects of this win.
South Africa Under Pressure to Avoid Loss Against Australia
The opening two matches of the series, as well as all three matches of the Twenty20 series against Australia that preceded it, were lost by South Africa. Aiden Markram, the man of the match, said that the win was a major relief for the team.
Aiden Markram, who scored 102 not out, said that the win was crucial for the team, as they were in need of a boost. He mentioned that the team prides itself on being a competitive cricketing nation, and when they don’t play up to those standards, it affects them as humans as well as cricketers.
He added that getting a good result means a lot to them, and it’s nice to know that they have the character to turn it around in a must-win game. Markram also said that there are a lot of positives that they can take forward and a bit of relief as well.
He mentioned that every time he walks out to bat, he sees how he can add value to the team. Some days it might be a quick-fire innings for a change of momentum, and some days it might be in a situation with a bit more gravity. South Africa performed better on Tuesday than in Bloemfontein, where Australia won the first two ODIs.
He added that they still have much to improve on to get closer towards the standards that they set for themselves. However, the win was a nice turn around for them. The next meeting between South Africa and Australia is in Pretoria on Friday, with the last game of the series in Johannesburg on Sunday.
