Twitter Reactions: Australia soar above expectations to register second ODI win in 2018
Maxwell had the task of defending 20 runs off the last over and he expertly did it.
Australia were required to win the second ODI at Adelaide Oval and they won the match against South Africa by a meagre seven runs. With the stupendous triumph, they kept their hopes alive in the series with one match remaining to be played at Bellerive Oval on Sunday. It was also their second win in the format in 2018 after they rolled over England earlier this year in the five-match series.
Rabada stars in Proteas domination
South Africa won the toss and didn’t have any hesitation to bowl first. Lungi Ngidi struck first blood with Travis Head’s wicket after which skipper Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh got the home team back into the match with a stand of 54 runs. Kagiso Rabada separated the duo by getting rid of Marsh for 22. Dwayne Pretorius dismissed Finch for 41 with Australia’s score at 96 in the 21st over.
Thereafter, a couple of partnerships between Chis Lynn (44) and wicketkeeper Alex Carey (47) followed by the one between Carey and Glenn Maxwell threatened to take the match away from the visitors, but wickets at crunch moments restricted the home team to 231 runs and were bowled out nine balls short of the 50 overs. Rabada was the Proteas’ standout bowler with four wickets.
Aussies scramble through
Mitchell Starc picked up Quinton de Kock and didn’t allow South Africa to blaze away initially. However, Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks tried to inject momentum into the innings. Unfortunately, both perished in quick succession. Markram was the first to fall owing to a run-out and six deliveries later, Mitchell Starc accounted for the wicket of Hendricks.
After Heinrich Klaasen’s dismissal, captain Faf du Plessis and David Miller brought their team back into the match with a 74-run partnership. While Miller notched a half-century, du Plessis departed three runs short of the same. Following their wickets, the Proteas tried to recover but fell short. Maxwell had the task of defending 20 runs off the last over and he expertly did it for Australia.
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