Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs both scored half-centuries, while Lungi Ngidi took five wickets to help South Africa win the second ODI of the three-match series here at the Great Barrier Reef Arena on Friday by a huge 84 runs.
The win gave the Proteas an unassailable 2-0 lead against the hosts, with the third and final match set to take place at the same site on Sunday. Aiden Markram, South Africa’s temporary captain, made a smart choice by batting first. His team’s batting unit scored a respectable 277 runs in 49.1 overs on a tough pitch.
The Proteas, on the other hand, had a different start to their innings. They were down to 23/2 after 5.4 overs, with captain Markram (zero) and Ryan Rickelton (eight) both going out cheaply.
After a shaky start, Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi pulled together a solid 67-run partnership for the third wicket, which put South Africa in a good position.
Adam Zampa broke up the comeback partnership by getting de Zorzi caught and bowled on the last ball of the 16th over. The top-order batter nevertheless got a lot of runs, scoring 38 runs in 39 balls.
Breetzke helped South Africa stay strong by making an 89-run partnership for the fourth wicket. He was bowled in the 31st over by Nathan Ellis. He was still the leading scorer, with 88 runs off of just 78 balls, including eight fours and two sixes.
On the other hand, Stubbs kept his ground and formed short partnerships with Dewald Brevis (one), Wiaan Mulder (26), and Senuran Muthusamy (four) until Zampa ended his anchoring knock. The right-handed batter hit three fours and a six on his way to an 87-ball 74.
After he was out, South Africa’s number nine, Keshav Maharaj, who was 22 not out, added important runs in the end. Zampa grabbed three wickets for Australia, and Marnus Labuschagne, Xavier Bartlett, and Ellis each took two. Josh Hazlewood took one.
Australia’s batting team fell short of the 278-run target they needed to win the game, scoring only 193 runs in 37.4 overs and losing by a huge margin. Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis fought hard for the home team, scoring 87 runs off 74 balls, with 12 boundaries, two of which were sixes.
Cameron Green, an all-around player, also scored a lot of runs with his 54-ball 35. They also worked together to score 67 runs for the fourth wicket.
Lungi Ngidi was South Africa’s best bowler, with amazing numbers of 5/42 in 8.4 overs. Muthusamy and Nandre Burger both got two, and Mulder added one. Ngidi was named Player of the Match for his bowling that won the match.
