South Africa registered a mammoth victory yesterday against the five-time World Champions and moved to the top of the points table. Chasing a 311-run target, the Aussies were bowled out for 177 in 40.5 overs.
DeKock smashes his second ton of the tournament: South Africa at the top of the points table
It was another great day in the field for South Africa opener Quinton DeKock as he hammered his second consecutive ton for the tournament.
His well-crafted 109 innings off 106 balls was studded with five sixes and eight fours. Following a great batting display, the SA bowlers outshined a wonderful batting order, too, as they couldn’t make it past even 200.
The Aussies seemed to be under pressure throughout against South Africa, and the second consecutive loss in the tournament only made the upcoming road challenging for them. With many games to go still, they’ll need to come up with something solid to get back on their feet in the tournament.
De Kock, the player of the match, who has already announced his retirement from ODIs and Tests after this tournament, seems to be in the form of his life. Yesterday’s game was at Lucknow, his hometown for IPL, and he didn’t disappoint the crowd.
Markram, who had scored a stormy hundred in his previous game, registered a half-century too, in this match. Both Starch and Maxwell picked up two wickets each. However, it was not enough to restrict their opponent within 300.
Coming to bat, the Aussies didn’t show a great temperament to get the job done. The highest score was from Marnus Labuschagne (46). It was a 3-wicket haul from Rabada while Janeson picked up two. Maharaj and Shamsi each picked up two wickets, while Ngidi picked up the important Warner.
What did the captains say?
In the post-match presentation, South Africa captain Bavuma said that it would be too greedy for him to talk about improvements after the great win. He felt it was “almost a perfect game” and credited the bowlers and batters for an outstanding display. He was happy to lose the toss as they wanted to chase as well.
The losing captain, Pat Cummins, said that there’s not much to be talked about and if they want to be “challenging” in this tournament, they have to start performing in any scenario, be it batting first or second.
The World Cup game is only getting better and more exciting with every passing match, and the upcoming days are going to be super crazy!
Stay tuned!
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