Acollective bowling performance by the South Africans prompted a batting melt down by Australia which saw
Tabraiz Shamsi struck early on his debut
the World Champions slumping to an embarrassing 47-run defeat in the third match of the Ballr Cup Tri-Nation Series at Providence.
Set 190 to win on a difficult batting pitch, the Aussies were bowled out for 142 in 34.2 overs due to some top individual performances with the ball by Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir and Tabriz Shamsi. It is the first time in five years, since the 2011 World Cup match against Bangladesh, that South Africa played three specialist spinners in the same One Day International match.
Opener Aaron Finch with resilient knock of 72 was not enough to prevent the South Africa from securing a valuable bonus point. No other batsman managed to pass 30 as batting was once again a difficult task on the low and slow track.
The in-form David Warner stay in the middle was extremely short as the left-arm seam of Wayne Parnell got one to jag-back which stuck below the knee roll to see him head back to the hut. The wickets did not stop there, as the pacey Rabada demolished the stumps of Warner’s opening partner, Usman Khwaja but the worrying expressions erupted on the faces of the Australians when Parnell came around the wicket to Steve Smith to trap him leg before at 21 for 3.
The aggression of Aaron Finch was on show as he crashed Parnell trough the covers for four then lifted him over mid-on for six. His onslaught was not finished there since he deposited the left-arm spin of Aaron Phangiso into the highly populated green stand with a lovely inside-out shot over cover.
The introduction of the debutant left-arm chinaman bowler, Shamsi into the attack in the 12th over paid immediate dividends as he struck with the fifth ball when Glen Maxwell missed a flat legbreak and was out LBW by Umpire Joel Wilson who was having a difficult day at the office.
At the other end, Finch seemed to be batting on a different track as he hit an identical shot off Phanigso once more.
The wrist spinners continued to enjoy the conditions as Imran Tahir got one to grip and turn, which Mitchell Marsh obliged by nicking to the gloves of Quinton de Kock and the men from “down under” lost half of their team with just 72 on the board in the 17th over and still needing 118 runs under the night sky.
Finch motored along to reach his eleventh One Day International (ODI) fifty off 58 balls but that moment rapidly become dull, with the dismissals of Matthew Wade and Nathan Coulter-Nile in quick succession.
It took a diving effort by Captain AD de Villiers in cover to dislodge the threatening Finch who played a counter-attacking innings hitting six fours and three sixes.
The rain arrived in the 31st over with the Australians in the distance of the Duckworth/Lewis par-score of 183 but after play resumed with the Aussies 113-9, Josh Hazelwood and Nathan Lyon threatened to take the Aussies past the 150 mark but Lyon’s luck came to end via a leg before dismissal to Phangiso.
Earlier, watched by a fairly sized crowd, the South Africans took first strike after their skipper AB de Villiers called correctly at the toss. The Proteas who lots to the West Indies in the series opener were desperate to keep their campaign alive and were looking for a good start to notch up their first win of the series. However, with just 29 on the board, the free-flowing Quinton de Kock was trapped leg before for 18 in the 7th over.
Rilee Roussouw, who made 61 in the first match, looked to continue from where he left off with a crunching cut shot backward of point but that proved to be the only excitement he brought while batting since his innings was cut short on seven when he prodded to off-spinner Nathan Lyon was trapped him leg before wicket.
The right-handed pair of Hashim Amla and de Villiers undertook the repair job, taking their team to 81 for 2 when spectacular fielding by Steve Smith manufactured the run out of the experienced Amla for 35 (2x4s).
The captain made a scratchy 22 from 38 balls when he attempted to guide Nathan Coulter-Nile down to third-man and was bowled; a series in which he surprisingly has not hit a boundary in 87 deliveries.
The situation got worse when Jean- Paul Duminy (13) who has been having string of low scores, saw his off-stump go for a jolly walk with a peach of a delivery from the right-arm seam of Coulter-Nile.
Hazlewood returned from the Media Center End and uprooted the stumps of Wayne Parnell (02) to leave the South Africans tottering at 112 for 6 in the 29th and another below-par score seeming more likely.
All-rounder Farhaan Behardein and Phangiso, gave a lower order rally with a gritty stand of 37 for the seventh wicket before Phangiso went for a wild heave and held out to long-off.
Behardein who was later names Man of the Match continued his fighting innings when he brought up his fifth ODI half-century with a six over mid-wicket. The right-hander found more resistance in Rabada who rallied their team to a respectable total on a slow wicket when the overs expired.
Behardein was bowled through his legs for 62 (4x4s; 1×6) to be the last man but this valiant innings had given his team somewhat a challenging total, especially with top quality spinners in their team.
The series now moves to Warner Park, St. Kitts where the aforementioned team will be back in action in another day/night match on Saturday June 11. West Indies will then play the Australians on Monday June 13, followed by a matchup between the hosts and the Proteas on Wednesday June 13. The final leg of the series will take place at the Kensington Oval, Barbados where the grand final will also be held on June 26. ([email protected])
