The Australian cricket team, already with their backs on the wall with a heavy defeat at Paarl, took on a spirited South African side for the second ODI at Mangauꦜng Oval in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
Australia brought back all-rounder Ashton Agar in place of Josh Hazle🅷wood, while South Africa replaced Temba Bavuma with JJ Smuts.
The buoyant hosts elected to bowl first and backed themselves to chase down the Australian score. David Warner gave the Aussies a flying start in the power play with his 23-ball 35. Captain Aaron Finch stood tall at the other end 🌺with key wickets falling aroundꦅ him.
Lungi Ngidi wreaked havoc with the wickets of Warner, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne. Finch consolidated the inning💙s wit🦩h his fine knock of 69.
The move to send D’Arc💮y Short at number five paid rich dividends for Justin Langer and Co. 𝄹as he stabilized the Australian inning with his maiden half-century. Short scored a crucial knock of 69 and took the Aussie score above 220, before giving away his wicket to Shamsi.
South African bowlers applied relentless pressure at the back e🍌nd of the inninꦚgs as the visitors kept losing wickets in their bid to accelerate.
Anrich Nortje ended up with a couple of wickets, giving away 59 runs. Andile Phehlukwayo looked at his economical best, conceding only 44 and getting Mitchell Marsh out of the equation with a peach of a yorker𒀰.
The day belonged to Ngidi, who ended up wit꧙h his career-best figures of 6/58 and was later adjudged as the joint ‘Player of Match.’
Proteas impressive bowling perfꦛormance bowls Australia out | AUS: 271
Ngidi took a career best 6-58 as he led the charge with the ball for theꦜ Proteas.
𒉰Amongst the 6 wi🌊ckets, he dismissed: Warner, Smith and Labuschagne.
South Africa need 272 to win
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA)
Fastest 🇿🇦 bowlers to reach 50 ODI wickets:
Lungi Ngidi – 26 matches 🎉 👏
Lonwabo Tsotsobe – 27 matches
Imran Tahir – 28 matchesHow many wickets will Ngidi end up with?
— ICC (@ICC)
Coming out to bat, South Africa had to chase down a target of 272. Mitchell Starc completed his formality by destroying the stumps of Quinton de Kock up front yet again in the first over. The Proteas skipper still has no clue how to💫 play Starc’s full-in swing♌ing yorker.
With the early wicket of de Kock, Janneman 🧸Malan and JJ Sm♔uts stitched a valuable partnership of 91 runs. Smuts added 41 to the scoreboard before Zampa sent him back to the pavilion. The match was evenly poised with the wicket of Kyle Verreynne, and the score at 103-3.
Then came the centurion from the previous game, Heinrich Klassen (51), and sent all Australian bowlers out of the park.
However, it was Malan who shepherded the Sout🔯h African chase with his maiden ODI century. Malan took his side across the finishing line, with his poignant knock of 129 🌄off 139 deliveries, which consisted of seven boundaries and four maximums.
MALAN MILESTONE | 🇿🇦 227-4
CHEERS all around Mangaung Oval
Helmet off, arms raised aloft
He raises his bat for a🦩 ma🌃iden ODI TON 💯 in the colors of South Africa
Nothing short of amazing 👏👏
Congratulations young lad, well played &𒆙; deserveꩲd
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA)
💯 for Janneman Malan! 🎉
His first international century 👏
— ICC (@ICC)
Australian bowlers desperately tried to take the match down to th♓e wire witಞh 56 needed off the last seven overs. However, David Miller, in support of Malan at the other end, provided the finishing blow with his unbeaten knock of 37 off just 29 deliveries, at a strike rate of 127.
For his epic knock, Malan was also adjudged as the ‘Playeℱr of the Match’ along with Ngidi as South Afr🍬ica clinched a much-needed 2-0 win, also the three-match ODI series. It is the first time in 12 months that South Africa managed to win a series at home.
Career best 6-58 | career best 129*
That's that
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA)
The chase of 272 runs was also the best at Bloemfontein by🎶 any team in ODIs, surpassing England’s 263 against South Africa in 1996. Further, South Africa continued their domination over Australia in ODI cricket off-late, by winning their last 10 out of 11 games played against them.
The six-wicket win was also South Africa’s 50th win against Australia, which is now the joint-most for them against any team, along with Pakist༒an. With the series done and dusted by a 2-0 scoreline, the final match of the series will be played at Potchefstroom on Saturday.
1️⃣ A series clinching victory ✅
2️⃣ 16th ODI win at the Mangaung Oval✅And now for the big one:
3️⃣ 50th win for South Africa in ODI's against Australia.
That's that 🔥
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA)
