Australia and South Africa will again face off against each other in an ODI match. Remember the date, it is 12 October 2023. Stay here to enjoy the highlights, live commentary, and the highlights. There will be a video under this paragraph.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023
Also, you will read about the live streaming, predictions, and the highlights. Do not forget to read the highlights. We have written those at the end of the day.
Check: 2023 Cricket World Cup Teams List – UPDATED
Australia lost their match against India. The dropped catch has cost them these points. They look forward to getting some points and NRR on the points table. Their batters will need to buckle up as well.
As far as South Africa is concerned, they are entering this match with tons of confidence and a high morale. They made the highest total in the history of the Cricket World Cup in the previous match. Now coupled with their win against the Aussies in their bilateral series, Australia seems to be under pressure.
Match details
Live streaming
Australians can watch the live streams on 9now, while South African fans can enjoy the live streams on the SuperSport app.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming
The only way you can enjoy the live streaming is with friends. Let me give you a little example. I was sitting with my friend in a cafe, and Pakistan vs Sri Lanka was happening. I usually don’t enjoy watching matches that much.
However, with my friend, the live streaming on that tiny TV screen seemed like a blockbuster movie.
We ordered more food, saw Rizwan having fun on the pitch, and cheered for Pakistani batters as they won the match by chasing the highest target in the World Cups.
So, if you want to enjoy the matches, gather some friends and start following this match live.
Predictions
Australia will look for redemption. They have been in poor form for some time. First, the lost series against the South Africans. We will talk about that in this article as well. Then, their loss against India, the batting collapse, and mistakes in the fielding. South Africa is on the opposite end of the spectrum.
So who will win?
Key players
| Australia | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Marnus Labuschagne | Aiden Markram |
| David Warner | Rassie van der Dussen |
| Josh Hazelwood | Marco Jansen |
| Mitchell Starc | Tabraiz Shamsi |
Marnus and David will be the dangerous batsmen they must be careful about. However, Aussies have to be wary of Starc and Hazelwood. How Hazelwood sticks with his line and length frustrates the batters on these pitches.
He got results as well. Similarly, the Aussie bowls must take care of Markram and RVD Dussen. Marco is in good form. However, the mystery man here is Shamis. His unorthodox left-arm spin will be the key to taking crucial wickets.
Recent ODI series
The recent ODI series of Australia vs South Africa was quite interesting. Aussies were in good shape when the series started. They won the first two matches. They won by 3 wickets and 10 overs remaining in the first match. In the next match, they won by 123 runs. These are some big numbers.
However, the Proteas fire kicked the bad form out of the park and won the next three matches with huge margins. 111, 164, and 122 runs. This is how easily they won this series. And Aiden Markram was in the centre of it all.
Marnus may have been the top batte. However, Klaasen and Aiden were correct at the top with him. Maharaj and Marco Jasen picked up a lot of wickets. Adam Zampa was with them on the list. However, only Marco seems to be in the form among these bowlers now. But you never know.
Who will win?
So who will win? The current form and their recent series dictate that South Africa has a much higher chance of winning this game. So, we will go with the numbers and say that the Protea fire also consumes the Aussies here.
Highlights
We will update this section during the match.
Toss
Australia won the toss, and they chose to bowl first. This pitch is still in the grey area. No one knows how it will perform. You can’t really make a decision. Pat Cummins chose to field for now. Let’s see how this Lucknow pitch behaves. This is the first match of this World Cup being played here.
Playing 11
| AUSTRALIA | SOUTH AFRICA |
|---|---|
| David Warner | Quinton de Kock |
| Mitchell Marsh | Temba Bavuma |
| Steven Smith | Rassie van der Dussen |
| Marnus Labuschagne | Aiden Markram |
| Josh Inglis | Heinrich Klaasen |
| Glenn Maxwell | David Miller |
| Pat Cummins | Marco Jansen |
| Mitchell Starc | Keshav Maharaj |
| Adam Zampa | Kagiso Rabada |
| Marcus Stoinis | Lungi Ngidi |
| Josh Hazelwood | Tabraiz Shamsi |
First innings – South Africa
| SOUTH AFRICA 311-7 (50 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Quinton de Kock 109 (106) | Glenn Maxwell 2-34 |
| Aiden Markram 56 (44) | Mitchell Starc 2-53 |
| Temba Bavuma 35 (55) | Josh Hazelwood 1-60 |
| TARGET | 312 in 50 overs |
- The match started with a bang, with Quinton and Bavuma sending all the balls out of the boundary line. The clinical batting display added 108 runs into the opening partnership. De Kock scored 63 runs, while Temba Bavuma scored 35 runs.
- However, Bavuma’s stay at the crease was cut short by Maxwell. The Aussies added him as a part-timer, but he is doing wonders as an offspinner.
- After this, de Kock and RVD had a 50-run stand cut short by Adam Zampa. Zampa strikes again with a mediocre delivery. RVD tried to hit it out of the park, but substitute Sean Abbott caught it.
- Aiden came to the crease in hopes of scoring big again. Quinton de Kock had other plans. Glenn Maxwell got him at 108 runs. De Kock looked a bit frustrated. This is 3rd or 4th time Maxwell has taken his wicket.
- Aiden Markram scored a superb 50 and built a partnership of 66 runs with Klaasen. But his stay was cut short by the Aussie skipper.
- After this, it was all downhill for the South African batters. Lovely bowling in the death by Starc. This total could have been more than 350. However, they restricted the Proteas to 311. They will leave the crease happy.
2nd Innings – Australia
| AUSTRALIA 177-10 (40.5 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Marnus Labuschagne 46 (74) | Kagiso Rabada 3-33 |
| Mitchell Starc 27 (51) | Keshav Maharaj 2-30 |
| Pat Cummins 22 (21) | Tabraiz Shamsi 2-36 |
| RESULT | South Africa won by 134 runs |
- This was not Australia’s day today. The only decent partnership was between Starc and Marnus. They scored 69 runs. But it was all in vain.
- It was a collective effort from the South African bowlers. Jansen drew the first blood, taking Marsh’s wicket.
- No top-order batter could stay for long. Steven Smith, David Warner, and Co couldn’t do much against the South African pace attack. Keshav Maharaj and Adam Zampa restricted the runs while taking those wickets.
- We did tell you guys that it is about time Shamis bamboozled the batters in this tournament.
- Inglis and Maxwell went out in quick succession. Marcus Stoinis was to the rescue. However, he was given out, and this was a controversial decision. We will debate on that later. But this was a lost cause for Australia and a matter of survival and NRR for them. It wasn’t about winning but about saving them in the NRR race.
- Marnus Labuschagne stood till the 8th wicket partnership. But he didn’t get any support from his fellow batters. In the end, he got out, and the Portea fire cut through the rest of the tail like butter.
- South Africans won convincingly by 134 runs, beating New Zealand on the points table and taking the top spot.
Man of the match
The clinical knock by de Kock! This is what we call it now. The ton from the wicketkeeper pushed South Africans to this score. It was a team effort. But credit must be given where it is due. And he took that credit in the shape of this award.