225/7 (40.2)
CR : 5.58
222/10 (49.0)
CR : 4.53
Australia won by 3 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Marnus Labuschagne
80(93)
40.1
0
A Markram to A Agar
Around the wicket. Flatter delivery around off. Agar chops it off the inner half of the bat towards bowler.
40.2
4
A Markram to A Agar
FOUR! That's it, Australia win by 3 wickets with 58 balls to spare and go 1-0 up in the 5-match ODI series. A brilliant partnership between Labuschagne and Agar, as the duo not only steadied the sinking ship but also helped their side chase down 222 runs easily.
Length delivery around off. Agar hangs back and punches it through the extra covers for a boundary to finish the match. Australia lead the series 1-0.
Length delivery around off. Agar hangs back and punches it through the extra covers for a boundary to finish the match. Australia lead the series 1-0.
AUS won by 3 wickets
11:52 PM IST, 20:22 Local Time: When the odds were stacked against Australia, two superheroes disguised in the name of Marnus Labuschagne and Ashton Agar bridged the massive deficit of the two scores. Australia are victorious by three wickets from a very difficult position. They were 113-7 after 16.3 overs and a massive 112* runs partnership saw the Aussies take a 1-0 lead in this ODI series.
Marnus came in as a concussion substitute for Cameron Green and made a stupendous impact with the bat straightaway. Remember, this is not just the home of South Africa but also of Labuschagne, and who can stop him in his country of birth? It's a statement made to the selectors of the Australian Cricket Board to axe the 29-year-old from the upcoming World Cup next month.
The South African pacers kicked off the second innings with some fire. Marco Jansen made the ball move laterally in the first over and the variable bounce off the surface helped him knock over David Warner early. Mitch Marsh was trying to take on Kagiso Rabada’s looseners who was operating from the other end. But it did not last long as the paceman bounced back with the last laugh.
Rabada followed fire with some kerosene spilled into it, sending Cameron Green back to the dressing room retired hurt. A rising delivery hit the Aussie all-rounder on the head and he had to trudge off the field. Head was trying to hang around for a while but the introduction of Lungi Ngidi was enough to get the better of him. A few more wickets followed and it took Marnus to step up as a concussion substitute after the fall of the fifth wicket.
The Aussie side were curtailed down to 113-7 and it was followed by some sensible resilience. The fans were treated to some proper ODI cricket classics from Marnus and Agar. The pair orchestrated a 112* runs stand for the eighth wicket to steer Australia past the finishing line. The pair kept ticking the scoreboard with no pressure of required run rate.
The left and right-hand combination worked very well for the Kangaroos as they tackled the change of bowling from the Proteas line-up quite well. The ball was in the court of South Africa but Marnus Labuschagne and Ashton Agar were the two person who eclipsed the brilliance of Temba Bavuma who notched up a fabulous century earlier today.
The Aussie side were curtailed down to 113-7 and it was followed by some sensible resilience. The fans were treated to some proper ODI cricket classics from Marnus and Agar. The pair orchestrated a 112* runs stand for the eighth wicket to steer Australia past the finishing line. The pair kept ticking the scoreboard with no pressure of required run rate.
The left and right-hand combination worked very well for the Kangaroos as they tackled the change of bowling from the Proteas line-up quite well. The ball was in the court of South Africa but Marnus Labuschagne and Ashton Agar were the two person who eclipsed the brilliance of Temba Bavuma who notched up a fabulous century earlier today.
Earlier, Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first. Bavuma and Quinton de Kock opened with the former being caught by Marcus Stoinis in the ninth over. Rassie van der Dussen fell prey to a harsh mix-up, ending up victimized to run out. Despite their best efforts, Aiden Markram and Bavuma were unable to extend the innings, as the scoreboard read 70-3 at one point in time. A quick couple of wickets followed and Bavuma sought Jansen's support.
The pair put up 57 runs for the sixth wicket and right after, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Gerald Coetzee went back to the hut in quick succession. Then, Bavuma adopted an authoritative approach and made a concerted effort to swing the blade cautiously. While Ngidi avoided a knockout by virtue of review, Alex Carey dropped a catch of Bavuma. These enabled them to score 222 runs in 49 overs by adding 37 runs for the final wicket. Temba Bavuma raced to his century and the first-ever versus Australia in ODIs. Hazlewood, who had three wickets for the visitors, was their best bowler, and Marcus Stoinis was the next best with a couple.
Stay tuned for the post-match presentations....
12:01 AM IST, 20:31 Local Time: It's time for the post-match presentation.
Temba Bavuma(South Africa Captain): "It's not the high scores that you kind of expect here in Bloemfontein. I think after our first innings, probably a couple of runs short, but I think we gave ourselves a chance, and I think probably not our best within the middle. I think with the ball just kind of lost our ability to keep creating chances. I think they also played well. Marnus is coming in as a sub. I think he really held things for them. I think, with us, there are conversations to be had in both our disciplines within the batting as well as the bowling. But, yeah, interesting day today.
Yeah, I didn't think the pitch was as easy. I think here at night, it kind of started to skid on and play a lot more, I guess, fluently. For us who were batting during the day, myself and Queenie, we found it quite tricky. As I said, their bowlers also exploited the conditions very well.
[Speaking about Marnus] Yeah, perfect guy. I think the way he played, he took the opportunities that he got early on in his innings, and then he just kind of stabilized. It's not the first time we've kind of seen him come on as a concussion sub and win it for his team. But, yeah, I guess things worked in their favor. We'll need to have the conversations that we need to have. Take the learnings from today and make sure Saturday we come back a better outfit."
Yeah, I didn't think the pitch was as easy. I think here at night, it kind of started to skid on and play a lot more, I guess, fluently. For us who were batting during the day, myself and Queenie, we found it quite tricky. As I said, their bowlers also exploited the conditions very well.
[Speaking about Marnus] Yeah, perfect guy. I think the way he played, he took the opportunities that he got early on in his innings, and then he just kind of stabilized. It's not the first time we've kind of seen him come on as a concussion sub and win it for his team. But, yeah, I guess things worked in their favor. We'll need to have the conversations that we need to have. Take the learnings from today and make sure Saturday we come back a better outfit."
Player of the Match: Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labuschagne (Player of the Match): "Not sure, not sure. It's a roller coaster. My mum last night called me and said, Not in the team? I said, noh mum, not in the team, not in the team.
I have been pretty disappointed with the way I have been playing One Day cricket. I took a little break and tried to improve. I was lying on the bed and thinking.
Yeah unbelievable partnership. It was nice when little runs were left, you get a kind of giddy, but we stayed calm, and waited for the balls to come. We started for South Africa to come and get the balls coming.
That’s not my job [on selection for Cricket World Cup 2023], my job is to do the best for my team. Whatever happened for my team, I am happy. Well, what made me special, that my mum hung around when I was not playing. The support that I was getting from my family, my mum, my grandma, my sister… and not just them, also everyone out there in Australia, over here in South Africa.”
Mitchell Marsh (Australia Captain): "Yes, we lost a few wickets early on, didn't we? We certainly showed plenty of intent, which I was really happy with. You know, that was certainly the directive for me to play without fear. Luckily we had Marnus come in there and an incredible partnership by those two to get us over the line.
[Marnus] He is the perfect man to come in for that job. One of the great things about Marnus is whether he's got ten hundred in a row or he's come in in a situation like tonight, he just gives it everything and tonight was a class innings. We're really proud of the boys. I thought we bowled really well today, using the conditions to our benefit with the slow wicket during the day and then that's a really gutsy Australian win, and very happy for the boys. [On Marnus' selection for the World Cup] Now, luckily I'm just a stand-in skipper so I don't have to make those decisions (laughs)."
[Marnus] He is the perfect man to come in for that job. One of the great things about Marnus is whether he's got ten hundred in a row or he's come in in a situation like tonight, he just gives it everything and tonight was a class innings. We're really proud of the boys. I thought we bowled really well today, using the conditions to our benefit with the slow wicket during the day and then that's a really gutsy Australian win, and very happy for the boys. [On Marnus' selection for the World Cup] Now, luckily I'm just a stand-in skipper so I don't have to make those decisions (laughs)."
What an unbelievable game of cricket we got to witness in Bloemfontein. The game swung like a pendulum and in the end, Marnus Labuschagne as the concussion substitute, teamed up with Ashton Agar eclipsed a brilliant century from Temba Bavuma to see Australia lead the ODI series 1-0.
This is Arijit Kundu, Deepak Prakash, and AkshayaKrishna Polya, bringing all the ball-by-ball excitement for you. Ashok Dayma was the scorer for the game. Do stay tuned to the network for more such cricketing extravaganza.
This is Arijit Kundu, Deepak Prakash, and AkshayaKrishna Polya, bringing all the ball-by-ball excitement for you. Ashok Dayma was the scorer for the game. Do stay tuned to the network for more such cricketing extravaganza.