South Africa and Australia renew hostilities when the sides meet at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.
The Proteas completed an emphatic six-wicket win inside of 30 overs to condemn the Aussies to their seventh consecutive ODI loss – their worst ever ODI losing streak.
The beleaguered hosts at least have a bit of time to catch their breath before the sides meet again in Adelaide on Friday. Will they give a better account of themselves or will the South Africans wrap up the series with another win?
Australia vs South Africa | Friday 9 November | Adelaide Oval | 05:20
To Win Match
Australia 91/100
Tie 35/1
South Africa 91/100
Australia
It’s a long time since we’ve seen an Australian outfit look this submissive at home. Their top and middle order were crying out for the tenacity and skill that David Warner and Steve Smith would surely have brought.
Travis Head, Aaron Finch, D’Arcy Short looked all at sea against a sharp South African attack. With the Aussies reduced to 8-3, a big recovery was required from the middle order, however, only Alex Carrey (33) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (34) managed any sort of resistance.
Justin Langer doesn’t really have much in the way of batting options. Shaun Marsh is likely to come in considering how well he batted in the ODI series against England earlier this year. Chris Lynn will be the man likely to make way with Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis both providing handy options with the ball.
Lastly, Aaron Finch has to bowl Mitchell Starc up front. The 28-year-old is lethal at the top of the innings and is far more likely to unsettle Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks, both of whom seemed comfortable dealing with the Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Coulter-Nile early doors.
South Africa
It was refreshing to see Dale Steyn running in and hitting the Perth surface with all of the tenacity we’ve come to expect from the 35-year-old. Steyn’s resurgence following a number of injuries that threatened to end his career bodes well for the South Africans who would no doubt love to unleash him in England and Wales.
Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phelukwayo and Imran Tahir were also amongst the wickets while Kagiso Rabada – who remained wicketless – put in a solid shift and kept things tight. This is probably the same bowling unit that will do duty (injury permitting) in England and Wales so expect them to play again in the second ODI.
De Kock and Hendricks looked comfortable at the top of the order while Aiden Markram got some much-needed ODI runs. The top order will likely face are far sterner test in the second One Day International and will need to come good under pressure as the World Cup looms.
The Proteas have an excellent ODI record at the Adelaide Oval. They’ve won their last three matches at the ground, beating New Zealand by 93 runs, Sri Lanka by nine runs and Australia by eight wickets. Curiously, the last ODI the South Africans played at the ground was in 2009. Steyn – the only survivor from that team – claimed three wickets on the day.
Verdict: South Africa 91/100
This is probably one of the worst Australia sides we’ve seen in a long time. They showed absolutely nothing in Perth and should be smartly beaten by a far superior South African outfit.
