The ICC World Cup 2023 witnessed a resounding victory for South Africa over Australia in the 10th game, with South Africa prevailing by a substantial 134-run margin.
In their pursuit of South Africa’s total of 312 runs at the Lucknow Cricket Stadium, the Australian team struggled to keep their wickets intact and eventually got bowled out for 177 runs in 40.5 overs.
This marks South Africa’s second consecutive win in the ongoing World Cup, while Australia suffered their second consecutive defeat.
In the contest held at the India Ratan Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to field first, inviting South Africa to bat.
South Africa’s Batting: Opting to bat, South Africa managed to post a total of 311 runs while losing 7 wickets in their allotted 50 overs, setting a target of 312 runs for Australia.
The opening partnership of Quinton de Kock and captain Temba Bavuma yielded 108 runs before Bavuma was caught for 35 off Glenn Maxwell in the 20th over.
Subsequently, Rasi van der Dussen and de Kock contributed a 50-run partnership for the second wicket, with South Africa losing their second wicket at 158 runs in 28.3 overs when van der Dussen was dismissed for 26 by Adam Zampa.
After losing these two wickets, Quinton de Kock continued to score runs consistently, collaborating with Aiden Markram. De Kock played an elegant innings, accumulating 109 runs from 90 balls, including eight fours, marking his second consecutive century in the event.
De Kock was dismissed for 109 on the team’s total of 197 runs, falling victim to Glenn Maxwell.
Other notable contributions came from Aiden Markram (56), Henrik Klaasen (29), David Miller (17), and Marco Jensen (26), as South Africa concluded their innings at 311 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allocated 50 overs.
Australia’s bowlers Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell both claimed two wickets, while Pete Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Adam Zampa took one wicket each.
Australia’s Innings: In their pursuit of the 312-run target, the Australian team faced constant challenges, losing wickets at regular intervals. None of the batsmen were able to withstand the impressive bowling of the South African bowlers.
By the time the innings concluded, six Australian batsmen had been dismissed, with Mitchell Marsh (7), David Warner (13), Steve Smith (19), Josh Ingles (5), Maxwell (3), and Stoins (5) all departing.
Marnus Labuschagne offered some resistance, but he too couldn’t steer his team to victory and was dismissed with the team’s score at 46 runs.
Additional contributions came from Mitchell Starc (27) and captain Pete Cummins (22), while Zampa added 11 runs. The Australian innings came to a close with the entire team being bowled out for 177 runs in the 41st over.
On the South African side, Rabada claimed three wickets, conceding 33 runs in 8 overs, while Marco Jensen, Keshav Maharaj, and Tabraiz Shamsi secured two wickets each.
For his exceptional batting performance, South Africa’s Quinton de Kock was awarded the Player of the Match.
It’s worth noting that Australia suffered their second consecutive defeat in this World Cup, having previously lost to India in their opening match, whereas South Africa secured their second consecutive victory after defeating Sri Lanka.
Australian squad:
The Australian squad includes captain Pat Cummins, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marence Lebouchen, Josh Ingles, Marcus Stoins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood.
South Africa squad:
The South African squad includes captain Tumba Bauma, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dusen, Aiden Markram, Henrik Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Johnson, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi and Tabriz Shamsi.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
