South Africa v Australia, 5th ODI – 5 Talking Points

David Warner tried, tried and tried but the left-hander fell short of the return crease as Imran Tahir shot an accurate throw at the wicketkeeper’s end to catch him short of the crease. He was the man on the night that stood between South Africa and victory and once Warner was dismissed the game was very well over.

South Africa posted a huge 327 runs on the board batting first and their bowlers led by Kyle Abbott and Imran Tahir ensured the Aussies weren’t in a position to chase it down. It was yet another collective failure on Australia’s part and though it’s an inexperienced bowling unit, not many expected them to fair as badly as they did. Here we take a look at the 5 talking points of the game.

1. Rilee Rossouw sizzles:

Rilee Rossouw came out with his best knock of the series today as he went on to slam his 3rd ODI century to help South Africa set up a challenging 328-run target for the Australians to chase. Whether opening with de Kock or batting in the middle order, Rossouw has batted unaffected and continued to make an impact.

The triple figure mark in this game also took his overall tally to 311 runs in 5 matches at a staggering average of 77.75. Apart from the century in this match, Rossouw already had registered two fifties in the first two ODIs as an opener. His consistent performances have created a sort of problem for the Proteas management.

The stylish left-hander, who was called up to the squad as a replacement for AB de Villiers ended up replacing an ill Hashim Amla at the start of the Australia series. His solid show eventually blocked Amla’s return and a ‘Rossouw – Amla’ debate soon kicked off among fans and critics. While both of them were fitted together in the last two ODIs, it will be interesting to see how the selectors handle a tricky condition when AB de Villiers would eventually return to the squad.

2. Joe Mennie shines:

Right arm-fast bowler, Joe Mennie was only the bright performer today with the ball for Australia. Mennie had a very disappointing start to his ODI career in the 2nd match. He was thrashed for 82 runs without any success during his 10 overs spell. He didn’t get any immediate opportunity and was benched for the next two games with Scott Boland replacing him.

However, Mennie was handed a second opportunity today and he capitalised it wholly to gain some reputation by returning with figures of 3/49. He was also the most economical bowler today for the visitors. This performance can be a huge confidence booster for the New South Wales bowler. Although it will be very tough for him to find a place in the bowling attack which includes the like of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, this performance will surely help him be in the scheme of thing in the future.

3. JP Duminy’s fighting fifty:

The South Africans didn’t have the best of starts and were 3 down with just 52 runs on the board. Faf du Plessis had won the toss and decided to bat first and then it was for the middle-order to ensure that the decision proved the right one.

JP Duminy having scored a half century in the previous game got around and stuck to the task with Rilee Rossouw playing really well at the other end. The duo had a 178-run partnership which definitely their batting inning and pushed them towards a 300+ total. Duminy’s knock of 73 might not look as big as Rossouw’s 122 but certainly had a crucial imapct for the South Africans.

4. David Warner the lone warrior: 

The chips were down, the Australians were 4-0 down in the series and were on the verge of a whitewash as the South Africans posted 327 runs in the 5th ODI. David Warner walked out with the best intentions to wrap up the chase in favor of the Aussies as he walked out to bat.

He was dropped on 11 and after that made sure the Proteas paid the price for it. Warner was as aggressive as he has ever been and timed his knock almost to perfection. His stay in the middle lasted for 136 deliveries and he scored 173 runs with the help of 24 boundaries. But the left-hander was dismissed towards the end of the inning. Though the knock couldn’t win his team the game, he should be credited for the manner in which he played since he was the 9th batsman to be dismissed but as he got out Australia lost the game that very moment.

5. South Africa beat world champs 5-0:

Starting from Centurion the Proteas were out an out dominant and didn’t let the Australians off the hook. They outplayed the world champs and the No. 1 ranked team in all the five games and whitewashed them 5-0. This is the first time that the Aussies have been washed off in an ODI series.

The Australian side missed their premier bowlers dearly as the young replacements weren’t quite able to fit the bill and weren’t as competent as they should have been. South Africa clearly outplayed them in all the three aspects of the game and didn’t give the visitors many chances. Credit to Faf du Plessis and his team for the way they played the series and ensured a clean sweep.