A brilliant all-round performance from the Proteas saw them clinch a thumping 134-run win over Australia in their World Cup clash at the Lucknow Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
A top century from Quinton de Kock helped the Proteas to a formidable 311/7 batting first, before a superb all-round bowling and fielding performance saw Australia all out for 177.
Kagiso Rabada, 3-33, was the pick of the bowlers, but Keshav Maharaj, 2-30, Tabraiz Shamsi, 2-38, Marco Jansen, 2-51, and Lungi Ngidi, 1-18, all bowled fantastically to make impressive contributions.
In the Australian chase the Proteas essentially had the match won within the first 20 overs as some ruthless bowling reduced the Aussies to 70/6 in the 18th over.
Jansen had Mitchell Marsh (7) caught early on by Temba Bavuma, while the brilliant Ngidi was rewarded for his superb start with the wicket of David Warner (13) who slapped him to Rassie van der Dussen at cover with the score 27/2.
Rabada was next into the attack and he had the perplexed looking Steve Smith (19) trapped LBW and bowled Josh Inglis (5) through the gate as they slipped to 56/4.
Glenn Maxwell (3) struggled massively in his 17 ball innings before popping an easy catch back to Maharaj, while Rabada picked up his third when Marcus Stoinis (5) gloved him behind, with the game done by that stage.
But the Aussies showed some lower-order fight, led by Marnus Labuschagne (46) and Mitchell Starc (27) as they shared in a 69-run seventh-wicket stand before both fell to Rabada and Maharaj in quick succession with the score 143/8.
Pat Cummins (22) struck a few lusty blows before Shamsi ended the match with the last two wickets in the 41st over.
SECOND TON FOR DE KOCK
At the start of play Australia won the toss and sent the Proteas in to bat, with De Kock hammering his way to a second consecutive century, after doing the same against Sri Lanka over the past weekend, with him eventually out for 109 off 106 balls having struck eight fours and five sixes.
Aiden Markram also followed up his century against Sri Lanka by cracking 56 off 44 balls (7x4, 1x6) as the Proteas set a good platform, but a strong fightback from the Aussie bowlers at the end of the innings limited the damage.
The Proteas innings got off to a steady start as De Kock and Bavuma (35) eased them to 53/0 after 10 overs.
De Kock brought up his half century with a single at the end of the 16th and a single off his bat in the 18th brought up the Proteas hundred.
Bavuma was the first wicket to fall, ran out in the 20th over as he tried to pump Glenn Maxwell back over his head for six only to toe end the ball to Warner at deep mid-wicket with the score on 108/1.
Van der Dussen (26) joined De Kock and they continued ticking the score along nicely with a 50-run second-wicket stand, but just as they were looking to kick on Van Der Dussen cracked Zampa straight down Abbott’s throat at long on in the 29th over.
An action packed 30th over then followed as new man Markram on one popped a slower ball full toss straight back to bowler Pat Cummins, only for him to drop it, while his anguish was compounded by De Kock reaching his century in style by swivel pulling him for six at the end of the over.
In the 35th over Australia finally got the big wicket of De Kock as he made a complete mess of trying to reverse scoop Maxwell, to end up bowled as the ball trickled onto the stumps leaving them on 197/3.
This brought Heinrich Klaasen (29) in to join Markram and they upped the ante a bit with a 66-run fourth-wicket partnership off 50 balls as they looked to set the stage for a grand finish.
But having taken the Proteas past the 250 run mark both set batters fell in successive overs as Markram, having reached his half century, guided Cummins straight to Josh Hazelwood at backward point, while Klaasen edged Hazelwood to Inglis as they slipped to 267/5 in the 45th over.
This allowed Australia to stem the flow of runs with a couple of cheap overs, but Jansen, 26 off 22 balls (3x4, 1x6) and David Miller, 17 off 13 (1x4, 1x6) were able to strike a couple of late lusty blows to crucially get them over the 300 run mark.
SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi
AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
