South Africa v Australia, 2nd ODI - 5 Talking Points

If the bashing of the Australian bowling was not enough in the first ODI, South Africa took it up a notch in the second match at The Wanderers in Johannesburg with some hard-hitting and some immaculate bowling.

While there were some fantastic flashes of brilliance from some of the South African batsmen, Faf du Plessis, the captain on the day was the hero and the star of the show with yet another magnificent ton. The new and inexperienced pacers of Australia failed to live up to their billing as the South Africa claimed yet another win in the series.

1. Aussie new boys fail to deliver:

With the likes of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood missing from action, the likes of Joe Mennie and Chris Tremain were handed debuts. While many certainly commend their impeccable bowling prowess, they were bowling to quality international batsmen on a batting paradise at The Wanderers.

Of course, it was a ploy that most certainly was not going to work. Tremain was the only one to claim a wicket while Mennie was smashed all around the park. The duo collectively conceded 160 runs.

Also check out – Twitter Reactions: South Africa comprehensively beat Australia in all the three departments

2. Faf du Plessis cuts loose:

When Faf du Plessis is at his best, he is an absolute pleasure to watch. And trust me when I say that as well. From the word go, the South African skipper was in his element. He smashed the ball at will and found the meat of the bat every single time he smashed the ball. While Rilee Rossouw had already handed an important and blistering start to the Proteas, it was followed up with some hard-hitting by skipper Faf. He smashed 111 from just 93 deliveries including 13 boundaries.

3. John Hastings saves some face for Australia:

While the inexperience of the Australian bowling attack was well and truly there for all to see, John Hastings was perhaps the only bowler who prevented the score from breaching the 400-run mark. He not only proved to be the highest wicket-taker for the Aussies but also proved to be the only one to contain the South African batsmen with some tight and accurate bowling. He concluded with figures of 3/57 in his quota of 10 overs.

4. Pacers exhibit true ‘Protea Fire’:

The Protea Fire is a well-documented motivational video one must certainly get his hands on and watch. However, the fact of the matter remained that the bowling unit was the one that exhibited that fire. Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, and Andile Phehlukwayo were the ones to stand between Australia and what seemed to be a likely victory for the hosts. Needless to say, they claimed 8 of the 10 Aussie wickets that fell with Parnell proving to be the one to do inflict the most damage.

5. Australian middle order wages lone battle:

Apart from David Warner, the Australian middle order was perhaps the only thing that stood between South Africa and a 2-0 lead in the series. While Warner smashed the ball around the park at will, Travis Head was perhaps the only other player looking to be aggressive and preserve his wicket at the same time. He was joined in his lone war by John Hastings (23), Matthew Wade (33), and Mitchell Marsh (19).

Also read – South Africa v Australia, 2nd ODI, Review: Faf du Plessis ton shepherds South Africa to consecutive wins