South Africa vs Australia 2nd ODI: Can South Africa Comeback?

Cricket

South Africa vs Australia: Australia won the 50-over series opener against South Africa by a razor-thin margin of three wickets in Bloemfontein on Thursday after defeating the host team 3-0 in the T20I series. Marnus Labuschagne, acting as a concussion replacement, batted magnificently to hit an unbroken 80 runs off of 93 deliveries and lead his team to victory. This was an unexpected hero for Australia. Apart from captain Temba Bavuma’s valiant attempt, all the other batters for South Africa were unsuccessful, so they have a lot to explain. For the second ODI on Saturday, the two teams will travel back to Bloemfontein.

The South Africa vs Australia 2nd ODI match will take place on September 9, 2023, at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Match Details to Note:

Match: South Africa vs Australia 2nd ODI match

Date: September 9th, 2023 (Saturday)

Time: 04:30 PM IST

Venue: Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

South Africa vs Australia

South Africa (Match Odds- 2.10)

Preview

After losing the T20I series, South Africa was anticipated to fare better in the ODI series. They have, however, gotten off to the wrong start. Temba Bavuma, the captain, batted with excellence and made a magnificent 114* from 142 balls. Unfortunately, Bavuma didn’t have much assistance from the other end save from Marco Jansen (32 off 40 balls), with whom he shared a 57-run stand for the sixth wicket. South Africa was ultimately dismissed for a poor 222 total.

With seven wickets down and roughly 100 runs still needed, Australia found themselves in a hazardous situation while chasing a modest but demanding mark on a tricky ground. With ferocious opening spells, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi destroyed their top-order hitters. But as the ball wore down, the wicket became more manageable for batting, and Ashton Agar and Marnus Labuschagne led the team to victory.

Without a doubt, this pace three will make things difficult for Australia in the upcoming match, especially when the ball is new.

Since Bavuma has been reliable for some time, we anticipate another strong performance from him in the upcoming ODI. This game could go well for Aiden Markram as well (459 runs from the last 9 matches at an average of 57.38 and a strike rate of 112). Although Markram struggled in the first ODI, he is technically competent enough to play on these pitches.

Marco Jansen, who has shown himself to be more than capable with the bat, will also likely contribute some useful runs lower down the order for South Africa.

Full Squad:

Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Players to watch out for South Africa vs Australia:

Temba Bavuma

Temba Bavuma, the captain, batted with excellence and made a magnificent 114* from 142 balls. Unfortunately, Bavuma didn’t have much assistance from the other end.

Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada returned to the bowling squad and it surely helped South Africa. Rabada increased his ODI total of 19 wickets against Australia to 21. He destroyed their top-order hitters.

Possible Playing XI:

Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wayne Parnell/ Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

Australia (Match Odds- 1.75)

Preview

When Marnus Labuschagne was left out of Australia’s World Cup roster and the starting lineup for the first ODI at Bloemfontein, he responded in a way that was nothing short of extraordinary. As a replacement for the concussion-prone Cameron Green, who was hurt by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer in the sixth over, Labuschagne entered the field as Australia was in a hazardous situation at 72 for 5, attempting to reach a target of 223. However, Labuschagne and Ashton Agar pulled off a stunning comeback, putting together an unbroken 112-run partnership in 145 deliveries—a new Bloemfontein record for the eighth wicket—and securing a decisive victory.

After this outstanding performance, it would be intriguing to watch if Australia chooses Labuschagne for the following ODI.

Travis Head was removed by Ngidi after scoring 33 runs off of 28 balls. Head has been Australia’s most productive batsman recently, with 362 runs in his previous seven games at an average of 60.33 and a strike rate of 115. So it makes sense to support him in this game.

Mitchell Marsh, the captain, will want to make up for his failure in the opening ODI. He has scored 291 runs in his last six games, averaging 58.2 and having a strike rate of 122. The all-rounder has been playing with excellent timing and has had a fantastic summer.

In the opening ODI, Australia’s bowling was strong, with Josh Hazlewood standing out with figures of 3-41. Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, and Sean Abbott all did a good job of holding things in check. The South African batters would once more need to be cautious of Hazlewood and Abbott on this pitch.

Full Squad:

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Tanveer Sangha, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

Players to watch out for South Africa vs Australia:

Marnus Labuschagne

Josh Hazlewood

In the opening ODI, Australia’s bowling was strong, with Josh Hazlewood standing out with figures of 3-41. The South African batters would once more need to be cautious of Hazlewood on this pitch.

Possible Playing XI:

David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Cameron Green/ Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

South Africa vs Australia Head-to-Head:

The two teams have played 103 ODIs to date with Australia winning 48 and South Africa 51 games.

South Africa vs Australia Toss Prediction:

The side batting second has triumphed in 17 of the 33 contests played at Mangaung Oval, including the first contest of this series. In the second ODI, the team that wins the toss will probably also choose to bat first.

South Africa vs Australia Pitch Report:

In the opening overs, the bowlers will find some bounce and movement on the Bloemfontein Mangaung Oval field. Because both teams have strong fast bowlers on their rosters, batsmen will need to exercise caution during the opening 15 overs. Batting becomes simpler as the game goes on, and if a hitter has spent some time on the wicket, he can go on to make a significant run. Bloemfontein will see bright, clear, and quite hot weather.

South Africa vs Australia Match Prediction:

Australia has already won four straight games on this tour and appears poised to keep up their winning ways. Although their batting did falter in the opening ODI, overall, they have a well-balanced roster, even without many of their major players. The South African bowling attack is strong, and we are confident that they will perform well once more. But the problem is with their batting. There are a few too many underachievers there, which can be a serious problem when playing against a side like Australia. In the second ODI, Australia is poised to again overwhelm the Proteas.

We predict Australia to win the match South Africa vs Australia at the odds of 1.75