Australia succumbed to their 2nd successive defeat in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023 as they were brought down to the haunches by a solid and powerful-looking South African side. Led by Temba Bavuma, South Africa look extremely potent and formidable.
After a humongous 102-run victory against Sri Lanka in their campaign opener, South Africa built on their confidence and momentum and secured a fantastic 134-run victory against the 5-time World Champions, Australia.
This definitely rings a lot of alarm bells for the Australians and they would be critical of their poor performances. None of their departments are clicking and they are looking very ordinary as a unit in this marquee event.
In this article, we take a look at the top 3 talking points of AUS vs SA in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023:
1. Quinton De Kock’s classy knock
After scoring a century against Sri Lanka in their first game, Quinton De Kock backed it up with a superbly-crafted century against Australia in this match. He looked extremely good with his timing and made sure that he punished the Australian bowlers with his fantastic batting.
De Kock scored 109 runs in 106 balls in this match at the Ekana Sports City Stadium in Lucknow and was the cynosure of all eyes. He carted the Australian bowlers all across the park and deservedly won the player of the match award.
2. Adam Zampa’s ordinary bowling
Australia’s only specialist bowler in their ODI World Cup squad, Adam Zampa, hasn’t been in the best of form. This is a huge concern for the Australians as Zampa’s form is quite crucial for them.
He failed to outfox the Proteas batters in this AUS vs SA match and bagged only 1 wicket in his 10 overs. Zampa had an ordinary economy of 7.00. If Zampa fails to get his rhythm back in the forthcoming games, Australia will find it difficult to play well in pitches that turn and favour spinners.
3. Kagiso Rabada’s fiery bowling
South African out-an-out speedster, Kagiso Rabada, was breathing fire today. He bagged 3 wickets in this game and his scalps included Steve Smith, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis.
Rabada once again proved as to why he is rated so hugely! Particularly, his wicket of Josh Inglis, where he broke through his defence, was a visual treat for him. The wickets went tumbling and South Africa were in the driving seat of the match.
