South Africa vs Australia, 2020: 1st ODI – Janneman Malan's unfortunate debut, Steve Smith's 50+ scores in defeats, Australia’s losing streak and more stats

After successive T20I series defeats, South Africa bounced back with a big win against Australia in the first game of the 3-match ODI series. The home team were reduced to 48/3 after electing to bat first before Heinrich Klaasen rescued the innings with an unbeaten hundred.

He scored 123 from only 114 balls and shared crucial partnerships with debutant Kyle Verreynne (48) and David Miller (64) as South Africa finished with 291/7. Australia’s chase was going well until the 34th over where they were 174/3. However, the wickets of Steve Smith (76) and Mitchell Marsh in consecutive overs crashed the chase.

All the statistical highlights from South Africa’s 74-run win against Australia in Paarl:

Australia’s losing spree:

6* – Australia is currently on a losing streak of six matches in the ODI format on South Africa soil. During their previous tour of South Africa in 2016, the Australians were whitewashed by South Africa in the 5-match ODI series.

1/10 – Australia now has lost nine of their last ten matches in the ODI format against South Africa. Their lone win against South Africa since 2016-17 season came during the 2018 home ODI series in Adelaide.

A forgettable record on debut for Malan:

1 – Janneman Malan became the first player in the history of Men’s ODI cricket to be dismissed on the very first ball of an ODI match on debut. West Indies’ Kieran Powell was dismissed on the first legitimate delivery of his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2009 as the first ball was wide.

Yet another 50+ score of Smith ends in a defeat:

4 – Steve Smith now has scored 50+ runs in each of his last four innings in the ODI format – 76, 131, 98 and 85. Unfortunately, all four 50+ scores resulted in Australian defeats. Smith is now only the 3rd player to record four or more consecutive 50+ scores in ODI cricket with all the four resulting in a defeat.

Virat Kohli in the first four games during the 2016 5-match ODI series in Australia and Brendan Taylor across four matches he played between 2018 and 2019 recorded a streak of 4 successive 50+ scores in ODI format that ended in defeats.

2 – Steve Smith is now only the 2nd Australian with 75+ scores in four consecutive ODI innings. Andrew Symonds recorded scores of 87, 89, 75, 107* across first four games of the 7-match ODI series in India in 2007.

Maiden hundred for Klaasen:

123* – Heinrich Klaasen’s unbeaten 123 is now the 3rd highest score in ODI cricket at the Boland Park in Paarl. AB de Villiers scored 176 in 2017 here against Bangladesh while Sachin Tendulkar scored 146 against Namibia during the 2003 CWC.

This was Klaasen’s maiden century in ODI cricket. Prior to this match, he scored only one fifty – 59 vs Zimbabwe in 2018 also at the Boland Park. He also completed 2000 List A runs with the hundred.

A debut to remember for Verreynne:

2 – Kyle Verreynne is only the 2nd player to score 40+ runs and also take 3 catches on ODI debut. George Bailey also scored exactly 48 runs and claimed 3 catches on his ODI debut against West Indies in 2012.

Ben Foakes scored an unbeaten 61 and affected 3 dismissals (2 catches & 1 stumping) on his ODI debut against Ireland in 2019; the only other instance of a debutant scoring 40+ runs and affecting 3+ dismissals.

3 – Verreynne is now the first South African and only the 7th player to claimed as many as three catches as a fielder on ODI debut. Nic Pothas (2 cts and 1 st) against Pakistan in 2000 and Heinrich Klaasen (3 cts) against India in 2018 affected three dismissals apiece on ODI debut for South Africa as wicketkeeper.

Milestones for Cummins and Smith:

101 – Pat Cummins completed 100 wickets in ODI cricket with 2nd of the three wickets he picked in this match. Cummins needed 62 matches for the milestone; the 6th quickest Australian to the milestone.

12023 – Steve Smith completed 12000 runs in International cricket during his 76-run knock in this match. His average of 51.6 is next only to Virat Kohli’s 56.26 among the players with 12000 International runs.