South Africa once again fell short in front of a dominant Australian side. The 2nd T20I between these two sides resulted in the hosts losing the game by 8 wickets.
Batting first, the Proteas scored 164 runs on the board for the loss of 8 wickets. Skipper Aiden Markram top-scored with a knock of 49 runs in 38 deliveries. His innings was packed with 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Opener Temba Bavuma too scored well as he put on 35 runs, in a knock that was packed with 6 fours and 1 six.
In response, Australia didn’t have to break a single sweat while chasing down. The likes of Matthew Short and skipper Mitchell Marsh played exceedingly well and helped the Ozzies win the game with utmost ease.
In this article, we take a look at the top 3 talking points in the 2nd SA vs AUS T20I at Kingsmead, Dublin:
1. Mitchell Marsh once again performs well
Skipper Mitchell Marsh has once again played well in the 2nd T20I as he scored an unbeaten knock of 79* runs in just 39 balls. His knock was laced with 8 fours and 6 sixes and the strike-rate of the Australian was 202.56.
Marsh has been the leading the team from the front in fine fashion and just like in the 1st T20I where he scored 92* runs, Marsh was at his beast mode.
2. Australian bowlers right on top
The likes of Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis bagged 3 wickets each in the game and didn’t let the South African batters breathe on the ball. Both the bowlers also had economical spells and their economy in the game was 5.50 and 6.25 respectively.
On the other hand, Jason Behrendorff, who wasn’t a part of the playing XI in the previous game, played well in this game. He took 2 wickets in the 2nd SA vs AUS T20I at Dublin.
The good form of the Australian bowlers is a clear indication that they are gearing up well for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
3. Matthew Short’s explosive innings
Openers have a lot of importance in T20I cricket as they provide a solid foundation right at the top. Matthew Short smeared the bowlers all across the park in this game and scored 66 runs in just 30 balls.
His buccaneering innings was peppered with 7 fours and 4 sixes and his partnership with Mitchell Marsh was too hot to handle for the opposition bowlers.
