With the series tied at 1-1, Australia and South Africa head off to Canberra to feature in a crucial third game of the series. Join The Roar for live coverage of game from the Manuka Oval starting at 2:20pm (AEDT).
It’s been the kind of series which is usually what an Australia-South Africa match-up dishes out. No team usually has a clear-cut advantage and it’s usually a sneak-through at the end that seals the series for one of them.
So after South Africa messed it up on the field in the first ODI and came down crashing in their chase of 300, it was Australia’s turn to capitulate in the second ODI with the bat.
A score of 154 was never going to enough to defend even on a spicy track like the WACA but Australia did well to make a match of it. It was all over before the 28th over ended, but not before South Africa had received a scare and fell to seven wickets down.
Mitchell Marsh played another of his matured knocks but received no support at the other end for Australia.
AB de Villiers also showed why he is considered the best ODI batsman in the world today with a counter-attacking effort that left South Africa with very little else to do in the second game.
Action now moves to Canberra, which will be hosting just its fourth ODI in its history and Australia will be without Mitchell Johnson, who has been rested from the rest of the series in order to get him fit for the Tests. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have replaced him in the squad.
One of these two new bowlers should make it to the starting XI unless the track at the Manuka Oval assists spin from the very go and the selectors did not want to give either of Hazlewood or Nathan Coulter-Nile a break. In that case, Xavier Doherty will be their go-to man with Marsh and Shane Watson expected to shoulder more responsibility with the ball.
The batting may not change but Glenn Maxwell at eight seems far too deep down to me.
South Africa have just one question to answer – do they continue with the same XI from the previous game or bring in an extra bowling all-rounder? Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson and Ryan McLaren are the options they have but it must be said that Farhaan Behardien did a good job with the ball last game.
Join me for this third ODI between Australia and South Africa on Wednesday here and you can follow the live score of this game from 2:20pm (AEDT) and post your comments in the section below.
ali
Guest
steve smith is awsome he make the australia as a winner in the 3rd odi match
tha Funkapotamus
Guest
Agreed Baggy! It was good to watch Smith play the strokes that Warner, Watson and Finch don't. Lots of bottom hand subcontinent style stuff.
Baggy_Green
Guest
It is a treat to watch a Faulkner-free team , team of proper batsmen and bowlers !!!!!!!! hope he does not get in again now...pretty good, hard fighting cricketer but neither a very good batsman nor a very good bowler..
Craig Watson
Guest
Agree SS. Watson should give the short format stuff away and prolong his frail body only for test cricket. From what we saw tonite his bowling is surplus to our needs. Marsh could take over his role. Kawaja, Ferguson or Burns...not so sure about Voges.
Nudge
Guest
Can't disagree with confidence Craig.
Craig Watson
Guest
Up until the last couple of digs he had been out of touch Ronan. That knock tonite shows how he has matured. A very composed and timely ton indeed.
Craig Watson
Guest
Nudge. All three Starc, Richo and Hoff were great tonite. Not so sure Richo is behind all those you named. Is the best death bowler of the three. Should be in the squad I reckon.
Shortfineleg
Guest
Nah, Nudge, I'll annoy you soon! ;)
Nudge
Guest
Yep agree shortfineleg. Have you turned a corner
Well played Ozzies, 330 was a tough ask.
Shortfineleg
Guest
Have em both in the squad - along with Johnson and Harris - happy days!
Nudge
Guest
Because Starc's death bowling since he returned from injury has been woeful and its Australia's major weakness heading to the World Cup. Yet in the 20/20's on Cummins return they bowled him in the 18th and 20th over and yet he still only went for around 5 runs per over from his 4. Amazing stuff when you haven't played for 2 years. As you know I love Starc, but Cummins to me is clearly well ahead.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
It's a bit of a surprise here that South Africa's bowling has fallen away in two of the three ODIs this series. On paper, the South African bowling line-up is a strong one and for them to concede 300 and 329 in two games is surprising. With the next two games coming in quickly on Friday and Sunday, it will be interesting to see if they can come back the way they did in the second ODI. Australia have got themselves a batting line-up which they will more or less use in the World Cup. If Michael Clarke gets fit, he could come in for George Bailey but apart from that, this looks to be a decent batting order. What was interesting to see was that the bowlers stuck to their task today even when the openers were going strong and later when de Villiers decided to go berserk. Starc took four and conceded four an over, Hazlewood went for a few but picked up three and even Richardson came back strongly later in the game. It just allows the selectors a lot of options to pick from for the World Cup. That will be that from me then, signing off from this game but with a promise that I will be back for the fourth ODI on Friday. Have a good evening ahead!
Sideline Comm.
Guest
I said underSTATED, not underrated.
MJB
Guest
Smith for Captain already.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
That happened pretty quickly in the end. South Africa have collapsed from 3/224 to 256 all out (nine down) and Australia have taken a 2-1 lead in the series. Just an update from the middle, Tahir injured his knee, which is why he did not bat. Steven Smith has been declared the man of the match!
Shortfineleg
Guest
Behardian = Buscemi
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And gone, Hazlewood has Behardien! Short of length and it's been hit straight to the fielder at mid-off. Difficult to hit it over mid-off from that length and on a slow track. That's also it, with Imran Tahir not coming out to bat. Australia have won by 73 runs.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Slowish pitch, Aaron Finch and David Warner blasted off like they did in the first game. Slowed in the middle but South Africa's bowling woes in the death overs allowed Steven Smith and co. to take control. Smith batted excellently, and 329 was probably 30-40 runs over par on this pitch. Morkel and Vernon went for runs after that superb last game. Amla & de Kock were involved in a century stand but batting became difficult when the ball softened. Only de Villiers after that managed to smash away a quick-fire half-century and at one stage, South Africa needed 106 from 12.4 overs with de Villiers and Amla going well. De Villiers fell and the rest of the side collapsed in the face of the mounting rate.
Shortfineleg
Guest
The Marsh boys regularly pull hammies when shaving, or surfing the net.