Here’s the match report. Thanks for following:
Some impressive bowling figures here, especially in terms of economy: Rabada 1 for 21, Ngidi 1 for 19, and Bosch 3 for 20, all from 3-ish overs. Maphaka and Peter were expensive but their bowling bought Green, Maxwell, and Carey, a good trade.
The Australians on the other hand got pumped aside from Dwarshuis with 2 for 24, everyone else went at 11 or more per over.
That’s it for us, we’ll check in with you from FNQ.
South Africa win by 53 runs
Huge win for South Africa. They break Australia’s winning streak at 10, level the series, and force a decider in Cairns this Saturday night. Dewald Brevis showed why there has been such buzz about him, with a blazing innings on a tricky surface. That was the thing: nobody else could score at his rate consistently except for Tim David, and by luck of the draw, David made half as many runs. Everyone else struggled to time their aggressive shots today. South Africa’s score was far too many in the end, and they bowled smartly at times to head off each Australian threat. Some good fielding too, aside from the couple of drops.
17.4 overs: Australia 165-10 (Hazlewood 0) No hat-trick for Bosch. Abbott falls to Ngidi, slicing the slower ball to short third while aiming down the ground. And that is that.
17th over: Australia 165-9 (Abbott 1, Hazlewood) End of the over. Abbott will have strike for the next, and will have to swing. If Australia last six balls, Bosch will be on a hat-trick.
WICKET! Zampa c Stubbs b Bosch 0, Australia 165-9
Has to go, might as well try, and he launches his drive to long on for a simple catch.
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WICKET! Dwarshuis b Bosch 12, Australia 165-8
This time the bails come off! Dwarshuis is able to drag a couple of twos through midwicket from Bosch’s pace, but he needs sixes, and aims for one, missing his swing and losing middle stump.
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16th over: Australia 159-7 (Dwarshuis 2, Abbott 0) Doesn’t end the over so well, young Peter. Two wides down the leg side, then a half volley that Dwarshuis belts for six over long on. Huge hit. Miles back into the crowd.
They need 60 from 24.
WICKET! Carey c Brevis b Peter 26, Australia 151-7
Rickelton is a very positive wicketkeeper. “A few of your best here, a few of your best,” he tells the bowler. And it’s not a bad one, Peter able to avoid dragging the ball short. Carey steps down and whips to leg, where Brevis is waiting and diving forward.
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15th over: Australia 149-6 (Carey 25, Dwarshuis 1) Carey gets strike, then keeps it with a single. He needs to manufacture 70 runs from 30 balls while batting with the top of the tail.
WICKET! Owen b Maphaka 8, Australia 147-6
Big fielding effort from Ngidi, throws himself at the ball at deep third but can’t keep it inside the field of play. Carey gets four, Ngidi gets hurt, maybe from landing on the rope. Then Maphaka launches a beamer as Carey advances. Accidental, wet ball, the bowler apologises. Carey races back for two after fending it away, then drills the free hit down the ground, it lands inches inside the rope for four rather than six. Cuts for one. Owen has two balls of Maphaka to face… but Maphaka only needs one! Left arm, angled across, Owen steps away to swing, misses, and it hits off stump. Owen’s 8 has used up 13 balls, he’s been a bust tonight.
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14th over: Australia 135-5 (Owen 8, Carey 13) On trickle the singles, with Ngidi back. Owen is a six hitter but he’s 9 from 12 halfway through this over. Carey carves behind point, good save on the rope keeps it to two, then another mis-hit over cover, hangs in the air but Brevis can’t get back in time. One boundary in the last 21 balls, since that Maxwell six. They need 14 an over. 84 from six.
13th over: Australia 127-5 (Owen 7, Carey 7) Bosch to Owen, bowls him! But he’s not out. The stumps light up but the bail doesn’t fall. We’ve seen this time and again with the Zing bails. They’re too heavy and they don’t fall. Bosch hits the outside of off stump hard, but the bail falls back in the groove. Time to change that rule like run outs: you’re out when the Zings light up. Carey gets a boundary away over cover, but those are four of only six runs from the over, Bosch using his slower balls and digging them into the surface. The Aussies are swinging but rarely landing.
They need some carnage overs: now 92 from 42 required. South Africa’s to lose.
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12th over: Australia 121-5 (Owen 6, Carey 2) Peter gets the chance to return, with a couple of new players at the crease. Starts well, a couple of singles. Surely Carey gets the sweep out? It doesn’t happen. They can’t connect with their hits, running ones and twos. Only six from the over! Huge win for Peter. He’s now 0 for 25 from two.
11th over: Australia 115-5 (Owen 2, Carey 0) So Maphaka has been expensive but taken two key wickets. And South Africa’s match-ups haven’t worked for the intended players but twice have taken out that player’s partner: Head and Maxwell both went that way.
Australia need 104 from 54.
WICKET! Maxwell c Brevis b Maphaka 16, Australia 112-5
They’re brought on Maphaka, a left-armer, because Owen has struggled against them. Gets off strike with an outside edge. Maxwell utterly smokes a fuller ball over square leg. That classic Maxwell style where he dips the back knee, gets it low with his front leg out of the way, and smacks it way squarer than he has any right to. But after surviving a DRS use for caught behind, he tries a similar shot and doesn’t get the distance as it goes straighter, to deep midwicket. Australia in strife now.
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10th over: Australia 104-4 (Maxwell 9, Owen 0) Rabada ends the over well: beats Owen on the outside edge, then smacks him in the grille. Off the angled edge and into the front of the wire. Concussion protocol: initiated.
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WICKET! David c van der Dussen b Rabada 50, Australia 104-4
It’s wet out there. Soaked. They just showed a slow-mo shot of the ball rolling across the turf, and it was sending up a peacock-tail spray of water. Selections for South Africa, should they have picked the leggie? Can’t grip the ball, surely. He’s been dragged and Rabada has been brought back, I think this is earlier than he might normally be for his over in the middle.
It doesn’t help initially. He bowls at the legs and David flicks him for six over midwicket, a straight flick too, then a single to raise 50 from 23. But a couple of balls later the line is around off stump, David tries to lash over cover, and can’t get the elevation. Rassie snaffles.
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9th over: Australia 96-3 (David 43, Maxwell 8) Right now, this moment, this week, this last month perhaps, nobody in the world is hitting it cleaner than Tim David. Another flat ferocious pull shot into the seats. Maphaka bowls a clever bouncer to keep Maxwell scoreless to end the over, Maxwell wants a wide but it wasn’t quite that high.
8th over: Australia 85-3 (David 33, Maxwell 7) So a little pause after the wicket, Maxwell works a one and a two, then plays that Maxwellian slice behind point, his tennis slice. Gets Bosch away for four.
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WICKET! Marsh c Stubbs b Bosch 22, Australia 77-3
Again Marsh gets into trouble going across the line of the ball, skews the leg-side hit and it goes straight down the ground. Basic outfielder’s catch.
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7th over: Australia 77-2 (Marsh 22, David 32) Fielding restrictions are over, so on comes the leg spinner, Peter. Starts nervously, with a wide, draws one defensive shot from David, then gets got. Neither of his short balls actually gets up very high, he’s unlucky to have either of them clouted, but he’s bowling to two cross-bat brutes, and David smears one into the crowd while Marsh puts the next one bounce into the gap. There’s a moment of respite with a better ball that’s tucked for a single, but then we’re back to the Biblical showdown, Peter versus David, and tonight the rock gets rocked. Short again, pulled again, and that ball has disappeared. Tim David has hit that into the sea.
19 from the over.
6th over: Australia 58-2 (Marsh 17, David 19) David keeps trying to blast, but can’t time Ngidi. Not the first time, not the second, then he line-drives the third ball out over cover off a length. All muscle, not much timing. Fourth of the over, heaves it to deep square and dropped by Stubbs. Same man who dropped him on Sunday and cost them that game. That last time it was a steepler, this time it’s the opposite, low and flat, he’s coming forward, diving forward, and fingertips it into the ground. David didn’t run, he didn’t run on the Sunday drop either. Needs to add that to his game, it’s a funny blind spot. He gets the single next ball, and Marsh ends the Powerplay with a drive over cover.
58 for 2 from their first six overs, they need 161 more from 84 balls.
5th over: Australia 41-2 (Marsh 10, David 12) Markram turns back to Rabada to find some control. Marsh keeps getting hit on the pad looking to hit behind square leg. David pummels one but the midwicket sweeper cleans it up. A couple more wides in this over, but after the second of those Marsh is happy to bunt a single. David does the same. Happy to respect Rabada, 8 from the over. The asking rate is almost 12 now, they need to get a move on.
4th over: Australia 41-2 (Marsh 10, David 12) Sore shoulder or not, in walks Tim David, and goes 4, 4, 4! The first two were short, he pulls one fine and one square, and gets a rare compliment from a bowler who has just been hit. Maphaka finally pitches up, so David goes over cover for the third. Maphaka gets the wicket in that over, but the other five balls go for 21.
WICKET! Green c Peter b Maphaka 9, SA 29-2
Another blow for the young star. Maphaka was terrific the other night, and gets rid of Green tonight. After being pulled for two boundaries, Maphaka stays short, Green pulls hard, and Peter at midwicket dives to his right to take a good catch. The ball hits his leg as he tries to throw it away to celebrate, and the umpires check whether there’s a Herschelle Gibbs situation, but he’d controlled the ball before he stood up, then lost it while trying to celebrate. Two separate movements, he’s fine.
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3rd over: Australia 20-1 (Marsh 10, Green 1) Ngidi adds to the South African pressure! Good over, mixes up his pace a lot, Green can’t time anything, three singles and a leg bye.
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WICKET! Head c Pretorius b Markram 5, Australia 16-1
2nd over: Australia 16-1 (Marsh 8) Markram’s part-time off spin is probably brought into the attack more for Marsh’s sake, but Marsh slog sweeps the first of the over for six, and Head is the one to get from the last ball of the over. Nothing special, should have gone the distance, and he murders spin bowling more often than not, but he hits this too flat, and Pretorius takes it despite stepping back very close to the rope.
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1st over: Australia 7-0 (Marsh 0, Head 4) A great first over from Rabada. Gets pinged on a couple of marginal wide calls, but gives away very little. A leg bye to Marsh, then Head swings and misses at a few, Rabada keeping it away from the bat by angling it across, until Head finally stops belting and plays a glide for four.
Australia need 219 to win
Huge score for Australia to chase, but their team is set up to chase huge scores, and Travis Head has started off a lot of 200-plus innings in the IPL. Different conditions and all that, but the numbers won’t daunt them. If their approach works as planned, it’ll handle 200-plus easily. But early wickets tonight should be curtains. A fun few overs coming up…
Tim David will bat, by the way, though he didn’t field after that fall.
20th over: South Africa 218-7 (Brevis 125) Last over, and an extra fielder inside the circle because Australia didn’t bowl their overs in time. No turning over strike from Rabada, he just belts Abbott over mid off for four. Misses the next ball but Brevis runs the bye, and way too easily. That’s dreadful keeping from Carey. Brevis hared off for the bye the previous ball when that boundary was hit, so he’d clearly shown his intentions. Carey should have had a glove off ready to ping the stumps. Instead he just underarms at half intensity, wearing both keeping gloves, and misses. Now Brevis has strike with four balls to hit.
Two more runs slapped down the ground, then a wide as Abbott tries to hide the ball outside off. Another miscue by Brevis, down the ground, they’re always taking two, and Maxwell would probably have run out Rabada had he picked up cleanly. It wouldn’t have made much difference though, with Brevis still on strike. Two to come, though he misses the high slower bouncer. It’s a dot ball, until it isn’t, because he’s overstepped! Extra run, and now a free hit. Brevis clonks it though, down the ground to Maxwell, one run.
Rabada will face the last ball. And Brevis runs the bye! Carey throws faster and flatter this time but misses the striker’s end, and hits the non-striker’s end! Was he aiming for that? Must have been. Rabada is run out, South Africa don’t get the run, but Brevis remains 125 not out.
19th over: South Africa 206-6 (Brevis 120, Rabada 1) There’s one answer to the fizzle, and that’s to get Brevis on strike. Bowler and umpire both flinch out of the way as Brevis nails a straight drive for four, then edges another boundary over his head. That’s the highest T20 score for South Africa, going past Faf. Hazlewood concedes 10 from the over, and 1 for 56 tonight.
WICKET! Bosch b Hazlewood 0, SA 198-6
Bowled by a full toss! You don’t see that too often. Not the worst ball from Hazlewood though, it was at least fast and dipping slightly. Bosch is set up to slow to leg, and so the ball coming in on the line of his gloves and dipping isn’t what he’s expecting. Hacks across the line and misses. South Africa fizzling near the end after that brilliant middle.
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18th over: South Africa 196-5 (Brevis 111, Bosch 0) Things got quiet all of a sudden in that over. Brevis couldn’t do anything: played a strange jumping pull shot and missed out completely, scuffed an aerial drive that landed safely for two, then pinged the sweeper for one. Rassie got out after that. So, three from the over.
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WICKET! van der Dussen c Abbott b Dwarshuis 5, SA 196-5
Some small relief for Australia at the other end! Rassie holes out to deep cover, a good running catch by Abbott coming around the rope, and close to it.
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17th over: South Africa 193-4 (Brevis 108, van der Dussen 5) Absurd shot from Brevis. Zampa lands it as wide as it can legally be, out on the blue touch paper, and Brevis doesn’t move out there, just reaches out there, but whips his wrists to hit it straight past the bowler, beating long on. That’s another level of quality. Zampa ends the over poorly too, overpitches to Rassie van der Dussen, who cover drives for four. Zampa 1 for 46 from his four, on an expensive night.
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WICKET! Stubbs c sub (Kuhnemann b Zampa 31, SA 183-4
Stubbs has looked like Rickelton did on Sunday, unable to time anything convincingly all night, and finally goes trying to force the pace. Opens up his front leg to aim a booming pull shot at Zampa over midwicket, and the miscue ends up spinning to backward point. It went nowhere for all the power in that swing. But he did the job of feeding Brevis when it mattered.
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16th over: South Africa 179-3 (Brevis 103, Stubbs 27) Four to the floor now, Stubbs is going for it, though he’s not quite nailing them. Gets one shot away, a strange scoop attempt – he ends up getting a full toss, so adjusts the shot while kneeling and popping it straight over the keeper’s head. His other big swings don’t reach the rope, but he gets some lucky doubles and takes a dozen from the over.
Century! Brevis 102 from 41
15th over: South Africa 167-3 (Brevis 102, Stubbs 17) Looked a decent yorker from Dwarshuis, and Brevis drives it straight for four! Almost underground when he dug that out, very low full toss dipping, and he gets no power on the shot but the placement is perfect. Dwarshuis goes back to length but offers width, poor bowlers, and Brevis carves four. Guides a run to short third, he’s on 98. Stubbs does the right thing and gives back the strike… and Brevis raises his ton with a pull behind square. That’s the second-fastest T20 ton by a South African, and he’s their youngest to get one at 22 years old.
He’s a bit lost in the moment as he tries to ramp his next ball and is hit on the body while spinning a 360, but it doesn’t cost him the next few overs.
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14th over: South Africa 152-3 (Brevis 89, Stubbs 16) One of the biggest hitters in the world, Tristan Stubbs, is just taking singles tonight to feed Brevis the strike. And why not? He backs away and hits an Exocet cut shot for four! Abbott was flying out there in an effort to intercept, but too much pace on that ball. Gets off strike to follow, and Stubbs plays over the top of Zampa’s leg break, but it’s wide of the stumps. Still, Zampa lets off the pressure last ball of the over, a low full toss that Stubbs can knock straight with no difficulty for four.
13th over: South Africa 141-3 (Brevis 84, Stubbs 11) Brevis is flying now! Getting some luck but he’s using it. Nutmegs himself from Hazlewood’s first ball, four through fine leg. Gets a fat full toss outside off and carves it through cover, but only gets two there. Adds another four with a top-edged pull. And after all of that, he crushes the last ball of the over: short, with rolled fingers, but pulled with a crisp thwack into the crowd. He’s 84 off 34.
Half century! Brevis 50 from 25 balls
12th over: South Africa 123-3 (Brevis 67, Stubbs 10) First ball of the over for Brevis, at any rate, goes for six again! And raises his fifty in double time. Wide outside off to hide the ball, Brevis gets the toe of the bat to it with a powerful slog, kneeling, and gets it straight. Next ball, six more! Full toss, trying to bowl a variation, and that goes over midwicket as a full toss should do. Three times in a row… Brevis is dropped. Second drop off Maxwell tonight. He’s steaming. It’s Kuhnemann the sub fielder who puts it down. Hit down towards long on, he’s in too far off the rope, has to jump for it AFL style, and palms it over his head for four. So Brevis gives a prayer of thanks for his luck, and whacks the next one over long on for six!
24 from the over, ruins Maxwell’s figures for the night by making them 2 for 44, when they should at least have been 3 for somewhat less.
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11th over: South Africa 99-3 (Brevis 44, Stubbs 9) First ball of the over again, Brevis goes for it! Risky one, doesn’t entirely get it clean, but drags Zampa over the rope down the ground. That sets up 11 from the over.
10th over: South Africa 88-3 (Brevis 35, Stubbs 8) There’s another one! Abbott the target this time, first ball of his over, and Brevis hits him straight down the ground for six, then smokes the next ball through point for four. Almost out to follow, mistimed ball over the leg side, but it drops just wide of long on, who was rushing around. The over goes for 15.
9th over: South Africa 73-3 (Brevis 21, Stubbs 7) There’s a hit! Zampa’s first over, and Brevis makes room to lift him down the ground for six. They didn’t clear the rope until the very end of the innings in the first match, so they’ve changed that tonight, SA, but a lot of low-scoring stuff in between those shots, so they’re only going at about eight an over.
8th over: South Africa 63-3 (Brevis 14, Stubbs 4) Sean Abbott does the Sean Abbott thing, hard length, in at the body, six from the over. Stubbs is almost run out from the fifth ball, direct hit while dashing a single, was that Owen or Marsh with the throw? Someone solid. Just survives though, by an inch.
7th over: South Africa 57-3 (Brevis 12, Stubbs 0) So that Maxwell over began with a miscued six from Brevis that just limped over the rope down the ground, then Maxwell conceded one more run from the next five balls. Figures of 2 for 20 from three, you’ll take that from your spinner with two overs in the Powerplay!
WICKET! Pretorius st Carey b Maxwell 10, SA 57-3
Well, what on God’s green earth was that? There were signs of this the other night, but tonight backs it up. Pretorius is a young player and a has a reputation as a fearsome striker, but he’s a sloppy cricketer at this stage of his career. Whether being heavyset is the reason or not, he’s slow across the ground. He didn’t put in effort in the field the other night. In this over he’s almost run out taking a sharp second that a modern T20 player should be taking every time. Then, fifth ball of the over, he comes wandering down at Maxwell, is beaten by the ball, and just gives up. Stands there out of his ground, slowly turns around, doesn’t even move towards the batting crease. In the meantime, Carey has fumbled the stumping. Drops the ball, it rolls towards square leg. And as Pretorius stares mutely on, Carey crawls after it, scrambles it back into his gloves, and launches into the stumps. Stumped, with no effort at all to avoid it. That’s just not good enough, in any form of cricket.
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6th over: South Africa 50-2 (Pretorius 10, Brevis 5) Something early for Brevis tonight after a brief start to his tournament, he gets a driveable ball from Dwarshuis and sends it to the rope. More importantly, David has hurt his shoulder trying to save the boundary. Lands on it hard while unable to flick the ball back. TV comms talking about the relative worth of risking such good players to save a run here and there, and I tend to agree. Only a single and a leg bye otherwise from the over, another tidy one from Dwarshuis. That’s the Powerplay.
5th over: South Africa 44-2 (Pretorius 10, Brevis 0) No run for Dewald Brevis first ball, as Maxwell closes out the over for 9 runs and a wicket.
WICKET! Markram c Owen b Maxwell 18, SA 44-2
Maxwell to continue, the young Pretorius top edges a sweep, it swirls over fine leg… and dropped! Zampa was circling under it like a puzzled shark, never looked set, and as it comes down he’s craning his neck to work out the angle of the drop. His head isn’t in position, and he spills it. Maxwell is not happy, with two runs conceded as well, and he’s even less happy next ball when Pretorius puts him on the roof. Huge sweep shot, bounces off the corrugated tin. But Maxwell’s mood improves after a single, as Markram skips down, laces an off drive, but hits it flat and straight at mid off. Owen takes the catch.
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4th over: South Africa 35-1 (Markram 18, Pretorius 1) Ben Dwarshuis finishes the over tightly, only one run from it along with the wicket.
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WICKET! Rickelton c David b Dwarshuis 14, SA 34-1
Swings earlier, but doesn’t swing well enough, Rickelton. Tries to repeat the big shot over the leg side, hits it higher than he does long, and it’s caught at the edge of the circle on the off side.
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3rd over: South Africa 32-0 (Markram 18, Rickelton 14) Hazlewood for his second, and he gets crunched! Rickelton spent the first game batting like a busted, but he gets going early tonight, a powerful swing over wide long on. Picks it up off a length and muscles, like he tried to do when Maxwell produced that magic boundary catch to settle the game on Sunday. Rickelton follows up two balls later with four, Hazlewood doesn’t hit the pinch and the full toss is carved behind point. Swaps strike, last ball of the over Markram adds a six! Shorter, pulled, hit clean. Hazlewood beat them on his own last time, but tonight his second over goes for 19.
2nd over: South Africa 13-0 (Markram 12, Rickelton 1) Maxwell to bowl the second over, also as he did the other night. Off-spinner in the Powerplay, tough job, but he does it exceptionally this time. Concedes two runs first ball, then ties down Markram for the next three. Only goes for two more singles in the over. Rushes through it, bowls a tight line, doesn’t give the length to hit. He’s clever.
1st over: South Africa 9-0 (Markram 9, Rickelton 0) Hazlewood to begin, and Markram begins with a boundary! Drives him through cover first ball. He did something similar the other night. Follows up a couple of balls later with a straight drive for four, also similar to the other night. That time he hit three fours off the first five balls, then got out. This time, he hits two fours, then takes a single. Better.
Some rejigging for those teams there. Inglis is unwell, so Carey comes in but isn’t carded to bat as high, meaning Green goes to 3, David to 4, and Maxwell up to 5, leaving Owen where he was last start. Also Abbott comes in for Ellis.
For the South Africans, van der Dussen comes in higher up while squeezing out George Linde lower down, and Peter replaces Senuran Muthusamy.
South Africa
Aiden Markram *
Ryan Rickelton +
Rassie van der Dussen
Lhuan-dre Pretorius
Dewald Brevis
Tristan Stubbs
Corbin Bosch
Nqabayomzi Peter
Kagiso Rabada
Kwena Maphaka
Lungi Ngidi
Australia
Travis Head
Mitchell Marsh *
Cameron Green
Tim David
Glenn Maxwell
Mitchell Owen
Alex Carey +
Ben Dwarshuis
Sean Abbott
Adam Zampa
Josh Hazlewood
Australia win the toss and will bowl
They had to bat first the other night, but they like chasing, as most T20 teams do. They’ll get their way on that matter tonight.
Preamble
Here we go. Another date in Darwin in August, winter in Australia but still plenty warm and tropical in the very north of the continent. And most importantly, usually dry. This is the second and final date in the Northern Territory before the third T20 moves on to Cairns in Queensland. If you’re from somewhere else and trying to visualise our country’s map, the latter is the pointy bit on the right, and the former is the hat in the middle. Today is a hat day. Every day in the NT should be a hat day, really.
Australia won the first T20 when they really didn’t have any right to, after being six down for 75, but South Africa let off Tim David and he punched up the score. Even so, SA should have won the chase, but Josh Hazlewood was too good and created a turning point.
So, Aiden Markram’s team will be annoyed to have let one slip, but Australia’s attacking method will give them chances. Just have to take them.
Let’s see what happens second time around.
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