Times Media
TELFORD VICE, Cape Town
THE lightning that dazzled SA’s display against Australia a week ago did not strike a second time in Harare on Tuesday, even with Faf du Plessis again raining thunder on the bowlers. Instead, the Aussies avenged their loss that day with a comprehensive win.
Last Wednesday, SA chased down a target of 328 with seven wickets and 20 balls to spare. On Tuesday, they were dismissed for 220 in 44 overs in reply to Australia’s 282/7 - which spelled defeat by 62 runs.
The two matches represent an odd contrast for Du Plessis. His maiden ODI century last week, a measured 106, was part of a scintillating stand of 206 he shared with AB de Villiers, who was unbeaten on 136.
Du Plessis made 126 on Tuesday before standing on his stumps in the 42nd over, leaving the likes of Morne Morkel, Aaron Phangiso and Imran Tahir to try and score 69 runs off the last 49 balls. Somehow, they did not get there.
“My job is to score hundreds, so I tick that box,” Du Plessis said. “But when you score a hundred getting a team across the line it’s always sweeter.
“But even though we were going and well and I was scoring the runs, it was always a little too far away with us losing wickets all the time. You hit a couple of boundaries, and you look up and still need 120.”
The 109 deliveries that constituted Du Plessis’ invovlement spared SA embarrassment in an innings in which no-one else could get past Ryan McLaren’s 24. Du Plessis aside, SA’s batsmen mustered 94 runs.
Eight fours streaked and six sixes flew off Du Plessis’ bat. He showed an imperiousness that was absent last week and kept SA in the game long after they had a right to be there.
“When you look at the scores it looks like we didn’t compete - that’s the most disappointing thing,” De Villiers said. “We failed as a batting unit.”
At the other end of the equation, Dale Steyn was hit for three consecutive sixes for the first time in his 85 one-day internationals.
His tormentor was Mitchell Marsh, whose 86 not out came off 51 balls and was studded with five fours and seven sixes.
That Marsh had only arrived at the crease in the 35th over and did not find the fence with the first 18 balls he faced only added to the impressiveness of his innings. He bothered running just 24 times during his onslaught.
Marsh went to his 50 off 37 balls in the throes of the 47th over, in which Steyn disappeared for 21 runs - 18 of them by way of pyrotechnic shots that soared way over the straight, long-on and long-off boundaries. That was Steyn’s ninth over. He did not return to complete his quota.
“I like to give myself a chance,” Marsh said. “It was quite tough at the start but I was able to hang around and swing hard at the end.”
According to Du Plessis, “we took our foot off the gas to Marsh and he demolished us, and that’s the difference between winning and losing”.
Phillip Hughes scored one run fewer than Marsh and he was significantly less boombastic. But Hughes’ was the higher quality innings, a steady supply of runs scored seamlessly.
The win was Australia’s first after losses to SA and Zimbabwe, and it booked their place in Saturday’s final. Zimbabwe will need to beat SA by an outlandishly wide margin tomorrow to prevent De Villiers’ team from filling the remaining berth.
“Winning feels better than losing, that’s for sure,” captain George Bailey said.
The South Africans knew exactly what he meant.
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