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Australia edge South Africa to set up final against India

cricket16 November 2023 17:09| © MWP
By:Neil Manthorp
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South Africa’s dismal record in World Cup semifinals continued at Eden Gardens on Thursday as they lost to Australia by three wickets with 2.4 overs to spare despite a magnificent, heroic century by David Miller which helped the Proteas post a modest but competitive total of 212 after batting first.

Australia breathed a huge, collective sigh of relief when they eventually limped to their modest target having made a flying start by reaching 60-0 in just six overs.

The game had seemed destined for a quick finish before South Africa’s bowlers began bravely clawing their way back into the contest.

A riveting, tense finish came down to who could best keep their nerve in the closing overs and those men were fast bowlers Mitchell Starc (16* from 38 balls) and captain Pat Cummins (14* from 29 balls) as Australia finished on 215-7 in 47.2 overs to earn their place in the final against unbeaten hosts and tournament favourites, India, in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

It was yet another heart-breaking exit for the Proteas who have now failed to win all five semifinals they have been involved in, twice losing to Australia with one infamous tie in 1999.

Earlier Miller came to the crease at a perilous 24-4 and brought up his sixth ODI century from 115 balls with eight fours and five sixes in a desperate bid to keep his team alive and retain their hopes of a first World Cup final.

He was dismissed for 101 with 16 balls of the innings remaining.

Heavily overcast skies, humid conditions and brilliant new-ball, fast bowling from Starc (10-1-34-3) and Josh Hazlewood (8-3-12-2) saw the Proteas crawl to 18-2 in the first, ten-over Power Play before crashing to 24-4 in the 12th over.

South Africa’s grim battle for survival was epitomised by Rassie van der Dussen’s six runs from 31 balls.

Captain Temba Bavuma (0) edged the fourth ball of the match from Starc to ‘keeper Inglis while Quinton de Kock’s attempt to relieve the pressure resulted in a skied drive to mid on where Cummins held a tumbling catch.

De Kock’s three runs spanned 14 balls.

FAULTLESS SHOT SELECTION

Aiden Markram (10) edged a drive against Starc to David Warner at deep gully and Van der Dussen’s painful crawl ended with a thick edge to Steve Smith at second slip.

Miller found a willing ally in Heinrich Klaasen as the pace of the game changed with the introduction of legspinner Adam Zampa (7-0-55-0), both men hitting him for a brace of sixes, Klaasen’s off consecutive deliveries on his way to 47 from 48 balls.

The transformative fifth-wicket partnership of 95 ended when part-time offspinner, Travis Head, spun a delivery viciously to bowl Klaasen and South Africa were 119-6 when Head trapped Marco Jansen lbw with his next delivery.

Gerald Coetzee batted with maturity for 19 off 39 balls and added 51 for the seventh wicket with Miller before ‘walking’ after a missed hook against Cummins.

Coetzee decided against reviewing the decision and had just left the field of play when television replays showed the ball to have missed his gloves before touching his shoulder on its way to Inglis.

Miller displayed intense clarity of thought during an innings which appeared in constant ‘crisis mode’.

His shot selection was faultless, striking his attacking shots with power and precision while keeping as much of the strike as possible in the closing stages.

One delivery after reaching his century he made his first mistake with a hook shot against a Cummins slow-bouncer which landed in Head’s hands just inside the deep square leg boundary.

Warner and Head tore into the run-chase, taking 27 and 32 apiece from Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada’s first three overs before the fightback started.

Warner (29) was bowled by offspinner Markram’s first ball, Rabada had Mitchell Marsh (0) caught at cover and Keshav Maharaj bowled Head for a blazing 62 from 48 balls.

Steve Smith’s gritty 30 from 62 balls ended with an uncharacteristic heave against a Coetzee bouncer, Marnus Labuschagne (18) was trapped lbw by the excellent Shamsi (2-42) and Josh Inglis (28) was bowled by a Coetzee yorker when all three appeared to be leading their team towards victory.

Maharaj (10-0-24-1) and Shamsi (10-0-42-2, who bowled Glenn Maxwell (1) with a vicious turner, were outstanding while Coetzee (2-47) again bowled his heart out, to no avail.

SOUTH AFRICA: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.

AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

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