South Africa’s opener Quinton de Kock scored a brilliant 109 off 103 balls to help his team post a challenging 312 for 6 in their 50 overs against Australia in the Cricket World Cup 2023 match at Lucknow. De Kock, who announced his retirement from ODI cricket after this tournament, played a fluent innings with 12 fours and two sixes. He shared a 142-run partnership with Aiden Markram, who made a quickfire 50 off 38 balls. The duo took the attack to the Australian bowlers, who struggled to find their rhythm and accuracy on a flat pitch.
De Kock reached his 18th ODI hundred in style, hitting Pat Cummins for a six over long-on. He was eventually dismissed by Josh Hazlewood, who was the pick of the Australian bowlers with 3 for 55. De Kock received a standing ovation from the crowd and his teammates as he walked back to the pavilion. He also became the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history for South Africa, surpassing Jacques Kallis.
Australia’s chase falters despite Warner’s fifty
Australia’s chase got off to a shaky start as they lost Aaron Finch and Steve Smith cheaply. David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne tried to rebuild the innings with a 74-run stand, but they could not keep up with the required run rate. Warner scored his 24th ODI fifty, but fell soon after for 58 off 65 balls, caught by Heinrich Klaasen off Marco Jansen.
Labuschagne was joined by Glenn Maxwell, who showed some intent with his aggressive batting. He hit four fours and two sixes in his 41 off 32 balls, but was caught by Rassie van der Dussen off Tabraiz Shamsi, who bowled a tight spell of 1 for 42 in his 10 overs. Labuschagne also departed for a well-made 71 off 82 balls, caught by David Miller off Lungi Ngidi.
Australia’s lower order tried to put up some resistance, but could not match the firepower of South Africa’s bowling attack. Ngidi finished with 3 for 61, while Kagiso Rabada and Jansen took two wickets each. Australia were bowled out for 287 in 48.3 overs, losing the match by 25 runs.
South Africa register their second win in the tournament
South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma was delighted with his team’s performance, as they registered their second win in the tournament. He praised De Kock and Markram for their batting display, and also lauded his bowlers for defending the total.
“We knew it was a good wicket to bat on, and we wanted to put up a big score. Quinton and Aiden batted superbly, they showed their class and experience. They set the platform for us to launch in the end. Our bowlers also did a great job, they bowled with discipline and intensity. We knew Australia would come hard at us, but we held our nerve and executed our plans well,” he said.
Australia’s captain Aaron Finch was disappointed with his team’s performance, as they suffered their second loss in the tournament. He admitted that they were outplayed by South Africa in all departments, and also rued the lack of partnerships in their chase.
“We were not good enough today, we have to give credit to South Africa. They batted brilliantly, especially De Kock and Markram. They put us under pressure from the start and we could not recover. We also did not bowl well enough, we gave away too many boundaries and extras. Our chase was not up to the mark either, we lost wickets at regular intervals and could not build any momentum. We have to regroup and bounce back in the next game,” he said.
South Africa moved up to the second spot in the points table with four points from two matches, while Australia slipped to the fifth spot with two points from two matches.
