Matthew Breetzke and Lungi Ngidi led South Africa to a famous win against Australia in Mackay on Friday with Breetzke registering a fluent 88 and Ngidi taking five wickets to help the visitors to an 84-run win in the second ODI. The result saw the Proteas 2-0 ahead in the three match series.
South Africa vs Australia ODI Series Secured
South Africa won the first game by 98 runs and proceeded with the momentum to beat England by eight wickets in the second game making the third game on Sunday a mere formality. In the case of Australia, the world champions, the loss was their fifth straight ODI series against the Proteas and their batting once again cost them the series.
Breetzke was given the chance to show his current form as captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat first. He has hit one century and three half centuries in four ODIs with eight fours and two sixes, including his 88 here.
Tristan Stubbs was also very helpful with a confident 74 leading South Africa to a total of 277 before being bowled out in the last over. Adam Zampa was the best bowler of Australia with the figures of 3-63, and Cameron Green was sharp in the field and took four catches.
Lungi Ngidi’s Five-Wicket Burst
Australia started chasing on a shaky ground. Josh Inglis was the only batter with some fight and he made 87, but the rest of the batting lineup could not do much. Ngidi was the one to deliver the death blows, and he ended the game in the 38th over with excellent figures of 5-42.
“It’s a great feeling, of course, never an easy feat coming to Australia and wrapping up the series in two games,” Markram reflected. “Really good from the boys.” The victory was achieved after his team was without Kagiso Rabada through injury and Prenelan Subrayen who was reported for a suspect action earlier in the series.
The initial destruction was made when Nandre Burger got rid of Travis Head cheaply, and then the struggling Marnus Labuschagne who got only one run. Mitchell Marsh attempted to fight back with a quickfire 18 but his wicket hurt the home sides chances further.
Australia Struggle in ODI Battle
Green and Inglis added a useful 67 runs in a bid to settle the innings. The wicket of Green who was dismissed by a bowl of Senuran Muthusamy, caught by him, exposed the middle order. Alex Carey (13) and Aaron Hardie (10) were cheaply dismissed and Inglis was left to fight against all odds in the face of bowling pressure.
His defiance was countered when Ngidi located the boundary, as Ryan Rickelton took a fine catch in the back-stop. At that point, the Australian dreams were finished. “Disappointing,” said Marsh. “I thought as a collective we pegged them back beautifully with the ball, but as a batting unit, we just didn’t get the job done tonight.”
Proteas Batting Partnerships Shine
Earlier in the innings, South Africa had suffered a setback early on in the powerplay as Xavier Bartlett dismissed Markram on a duck and Rickelton on eight. The visitors were under the cosh at 2-16 when Breetzke countered.
He hit back at Aaron Hardie, smashing two sixes and a four in an over to take South Africa to 56-2 at the end of ten overs. A good 67-run stand with Tony de Zorzi (38) steadied the innings, and an 89-run stand with Stubbs was decisive.
Breetzke then missed Nathan Ellis deep but Stubbs kept playing big shots down the ground. His knock gave the South Africans the momentum that was capitalized by Ngidi and the bowlers to win the ODI series.
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