In a remarkable turn of events, South Africa delivered a stunning blow to Australia, handing them their most significant loss in ODI World Cup history with a 134-run victory. Australia’s skipper, Pat Cummins, had likened the two teams on the eve of the match, but the actual game unfolded quite differently, as South Africa outclassed the five-time champions in a ODI World Cup showdown at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Both teams entered the match with limited knowledge of the pitch’s characteristics, as it had been recently relaid. However, Australia found themselves struggling on a wicket that favored both pace and spin, while the Proteas once again put on an impressive batting display, led by opener Quinton de Kock, who scored 109 runs off 106 balls, including eight boundaries and five sixes.
The match saw some questionable decisions made by the third umpire on review, with Steven Smith and Marcus Stoinis both falling victim to these decisions. Smith was surprised to see the ball-tracking system indicating that the ball was hitting the leg stump, while Stoinis felt he had gloved the ball even though his hand was off the bat handle.
Marnus Labuschagne (46 runs off 74 balls, with three boundaries) and Mitchell Starc, who joined forces at 70 for six, attempted to delay the inevitable collapse of the Australian innings.
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Meanwhile, the crowd in attendance, though sparse, grew increasingly silent as South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram (56 runs off 44 balls, with seven boundaries and one six) had earlier given them plenty to cheer about.
South Africa, after being asked to bat, started cautiously, with both de Kock and Temba Bavuma nervously playing and missing against Mitchell Starc’s prodigious swing. However, de Kock eventually injected life into the innings with a flicked six off a length ball in the fifth over. He went on to pepper the field with four more sixes during his innings, alongside well-placed late cuts and square drives.
De Kock’s versatility was on full display as he executed sweeps and reverse-sweeps for consecutive fours, eventually falling in his attempt at a cheeky reverse pull off Glenn Maxwell. Notably, Maxwell’s bowling performance was a bright spot on an otherwise scrappy day for Australia on the field, marked by five dropped catches.
While Australia’s pacers, particularly Starc, managed to regain control towards the end by employing short-pitched deliveries and slower balls, South Africa had already set a formidable total.
