Tag: South Africa vs Australia

MELBOURNE: Australia closed in on winning the second Test and the series against South Africa on Wednesday after Alex Carey struck a maiden century to leave them in a commanding position.

The hosts declared at tea on 575-8 on day three with an ominous lead of 386 after South Africa were bowled out in their first innings for 189.

In reply, the Proteas were 15-1 when play was abandoned early at the Melbourne Cricket Ground due to persistent drizzle.

Their bid to save the Test, and the three-match series after losing the opener in Brisbane, got off to a horror start with under-pressure skipper Dean Elgar caught by Carey off Pat Cummins without scoring in the second over.

Theunis de Bruyn, who was dropped by David Warner on three, was not out six alongside Sarel Erwee on seven.

Wicketkeeper Carey, playing in his 14th Test, was superb in reaching three figures for the first time before he was caught and bowled by Marco Jansen for 111.

At the declaration, a battling Cameron Green was not out 51 despite a fractured finger, alongside Mitchell Starc on 10.

Carey and Green piled on the misery in a 117-run partnership after South Africa gave themselves a glimmer of hope with early wickets, including David Warner first ball after he resumed on 200.

Australia resumed on 386-3 with Travis Head on 48 and Carey on nine after a herculean unbeaten double century from Warner in his 100th Test in gruelling heat on day two.

The veteran opener retired exhausted with severe cramp after making his third Test double ton, but he returned to the crease when Head was out for 51, walking out to huge applause.

He told host broadcaster Fox before play began that he had a “rough night’s sleep”.

“I probably woke up six or seven times,” he added, and was bowled first ball by an Anrich Nortje yorker as Australia lost three wickets for five runs.

Green ruled out of bowling

Temperatures were much cooler than the 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with conditions overcast and humid — generally favourable to the bowlers.

And the ever-dangerous Anrich Nortje took advantage, bowling Head in the third over before snaring a bewildered Warner next ball.

Pat Cummins fended off the hat-trick delivery, but he did not last long.

The Australian skipper fell to the third ball he faced when South Africa successfully reviewed a caught behind decision off Kagiso Rabada’s bowling that was initially denied by the umpire.

Carey was joined by Nathan Lyon and they steadied the ship.

Lyon made an entertaining 25 before holing out to Khaya Zondo off Lungi Ngidi

Ahead of play, Green, who took 5-27 in South Africa’s first innings, was ruled out of bowling again in Melbourne — and the third Sydney Test — with a fractured finger, but he bravely came out to bat.

After a slow start, he began playing his shots in an admirable supporting role to Carey, who counter-attacked after the early wickets fell to consolidate Australia’s advantage.

Carey was the first Australian wicketkeeper to make a Test century since Brad Haddin in 2013 and only the second at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after Rod Marsh.

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BRISBANE: Australia captain Pat Cummins spearheaded a pace barrage that tore through South Africa before his side chased down a target of 34 runs Sunday to claim a six-wicket win inside two days on a hostile Gabba pitch. 

After finishing their first innings 66 runs in front midway through the first session Sunday, Australia dismissed the visitors for just 99 despite a fighting 36 not out from Khaya Zondo.

But the Australians then lost four cheap wickets in the chase as paceman Kagiso Rabada ran amok, with Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith and Travis Head all falling to catches behind the wicket.

However, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green — aided by 15 extras — guided Australia home to give them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series on a day when 19 wickets fell.

“Tricky wicket. I thought the way Head and Smith batted (in the first innings) got us to this winning position,” said Australia captain Pat Cummins.

Man of the match Head added: “Very difficult wicket, plenty for the bowlers. We saw that the whole game. Nice to be able to contribute and get a win.”

Despite the victory, Australian selectors will be concerned with Warner’s form after yet another failure.

Warner is due to play his 100th Test in Melbourne on Boxing Day without scoring a century in almost three years, as calls for him to be dropped grow louder.

The two teams went into the series both boasting high-quality bowling attacks, but Australia’s batting always looked stronger.

And on a green Gabba wicket, South Africa’s frailties at the top of the order were brutally exposed.

“Another 60 runs and we would have been in the game. Pretty spicy wicket, bowlers were licking their lips,” said South Africa skipper Dean Elgar.

“I don’t think we could prepare any better. Conditions weren’t in favour for the batters.”

South Africa slumped to 27-4 in the first innings and 5-3 in the second, positions from which they never recovered.

While the Australians also struggled at times, Head’s superb 92 from 96 balls proved the difference between the two teams.

Australia started the day at 145-7 and South Africa did well to restrict them to 218, a lead of 66.

But the South African batsmen never looked up to the task of setting Australia a competitive total after slumping to 3-2 at lunch.

Stop the Rot

Although Temba Bavuma and Zondo tried to launch a recovery in the middle session, they continued to lose wickets in clumps to a rampant Australian bowling attack.

Cummins, who finished with 5-42, started the second innings rot when he trapped his South African counterpart Dean Elgar lbw for two in just the second over.

Mitchell Starc then took the 300th wicket of his career when he bowled Rassie van der Dussen for a duck.

South Africa limped to lunch but Cummins struck again soon after the resumption when Sarel Erwee got a top edge to gully where the two-metre-tall Green leapt high to pull in a superb catch.

With South Africa staggering at 5-3, Bavuma and Zondo survived a torrid examination from Cummins, Starc and Scott Boland before slowly starting to chip away at the deficit.

Bavuma reached 29 before playing back to off-spinner Nathan Lyon to leave South Africa 47-4.

Boland then had first innings top-scorer Kyle Verreynne caught at second slip before bowling Maro Jansen two balls later to leave South Africa 48-6, still 18 runs from making Australia bat again.

Keshav Maharaj hit out to make a quickfire 16 before edging Starc to be caught behind, before Zondo and Rabada survived to the tea break.

But wickets fell quickly after the break with Cummins particularly dangerous with his impeccable line and length.

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WELLINGTON: Australia’s skipper Meg Lanning shone with a magnificent century in the run chase to power her side to a comfortable victory over South Africa by five runs in the 21st match of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2022, here on Tuesday.

Set to chase a commendable 272, Australia comfortably sealed the victory in the 46th over by five wickets, thanks to the unbeaten 135-runs knock from the skipper Lanning.

Coming out to chase, Australia fumbled a little at the start as the side lost their first wicket for a mere 14 as the wicket-keeper batter Alyssa Healy perished after scoring a mere five.

Lanning then came out to bat and stood firm at her end, while the rest of the batters kept walking back after scoring briefly. She kept ticking the scoreboard single-handedly and put on a brilliant century.

She remained unbeaten with 135 off 130 balls with the help of 15 boundaries and a six. Apart from Lanning, Tahlia McGrath also chipped in as she scored 32 off 35 balls.

For South Africa, Chloe Tyron and Shabnim Ismail picked up two wickets apiece.

Batting first, South Africa posted a commendable total of 271/5 in the allotted 50 overs; setting a 272-runs target for the former champions.

The opening batter Laura Wolvaardt and the skipper Sune Luus scored half-centuries, while the rest of the batters also made small contributions.

Luus scored 52 off 51 balls, laced with six boundaries, while Wolvaardt top-scored for her side with 90 off 134 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.

For Australia, Alana King, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardener, Jess Jonassen, and Megan Schutt managed to pick one wicket each.

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