Australia 231 (Carey 47, Lynn 44, Rabada 4-54, Pretorius 3-32) v South Africa
Australia’s faltering batsmen once again crumbled to the sustained pressure of a South African attack that gave no quarter, bowled out for 231 in the 49th over as their top order failed to capitalise on bright starts and wickets fell at regular intervals.
Dwaine Pretorius, trialled in place of Andile Phehlukwayo, aced the bowling section of his audition with 3 for 32, while Dale Steyn bowled with pace and venom on a flat pitch to collect 2 for 31 and a fired-up Kagiso Rabada tore through the middle order with 4 for 54.
Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Chris Lynn and Alex Carey all got in and then got out, and every time Australia built up a little momentum, South Africa found a breakthrough, repeatedly exhibiting their ability to prise set batsmen from the crease. Or rather, Australia’s batsmen repeatedly found ways to get out, with poor shot selection throughout the top order.
Travis Head showed there were no demons in the pitch when he eased two boundaries off Lungi Ngidi’s first over, but then drove across the line to fall lbw to the same bowler. Such was Australia’s desperation not to slip up early that Head reviewed the decision, only to see three reds and a delivery that would have hit the middle stump, had his front pad not got in the way.
Finch, too, struggled to work the ball off his legs early on, Steyn repeatedly thudding the ball into his pads, and when Pretorius was brought on in the 15th over he survived a strong review against a delivery that beat the edge and hit his pad first, but remained umpire’s call on impact.
Finch found his groove more easily through the off side, and it seemed that alongside Marsh, who returned to Australia’s playing XI as one of their in-form batsmen from their trip to England earlier this year, he might rebuild the innings but Rabada had a flat-footed Marsh caught behind driving on the up to snap their stand at 52.
Finch and Lynn had added a further 30 when the Australian captain chopped a Pretorius off-cutter onto his own stumps for 41, and Australia’s innings slowed as Imran Tahir tied Lynn and Carey down with a tight, wicket-to-wicket line. Tahir didn’t concede a boundary until his fifth over, when Carey used quick hands and quick feet to drive inside-out through cover.
While singles were difficult to come by, Lynn banked on his boundary-hitting ability to keep Australia ticking over. But the same attacking instincts lead to his dismissal for a run-a-ball 44 when he greeted Rabada’s return to the attack in the 27th over with 18 off the first four balls, and then gloved a bouncer off the fifth. Having been carted to all corners in the previous four deliveries, Rabada roared his celebration at the dismissal as he ran past the departing batsman.
The procession continued as Glenn Maxwell flashed a cut to nick Pretorius through to Quinton de Kock, and Marcus Stoinis heaved across the line to present Reeza Hendricks with a stinging chance at midwicket off the same bowler. Australia were 170 for 6 in the 35th over and drifting dangerously when Stoinis fell, and continued to slide as Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were both beaten for pace by a fired-up Steyn.
Following the pattern set by those ahead of him in the order, Carey battled his way to 47 and then misjudged the bounce on a length delivery from Rabada, guiding an edge through to de Kock for his fourth catch behind the stumps. He had at least allowed Australia to stumble beyond 200, while Adam Zampa gave the innings just a little oomph with a quickfire 22 before skying a shot at Rabada.
With the pitch playing true throughout, Australia ended well short of a par score, but they will know that South Africa’s top order is not in the most imposing form either and their score was just enough to give their attack something to bowl at.
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