The hosts South Africa have taken the 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Australia after winning the first game of this series by 74 runs at Paarl on Saturday (29th February).
After winning the toss, the hosts batted first and scored 291/7 (50 overs). In reply, the visitors Australia were bowled out for 217 runs (45.1 overs).
Australian innings: Steven Smith’s fight went in vain
Chasing down the top target, Australia mostly lost their wickets at regular intervals, except some good partnerships for the third and fourth wickets. While Steven Smith put the 84 runs partnership for the third wicket with Marnus Labuschagne, Smith and Mitchell Marsh provided the 41-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Smith scored 76 runs off 94 balls while Labuschagne played the knock of 41 runs. Only the Aussie opener David Warner (25) was the other man in that innings who reached the 20-run mark.
South African pacer Lungi Ngidi (3/30) picked up three wickets while Anrich Nortje (2/39) and Tabraiz Shamsi (2/45) both scalped two wickets each in the second innings. Also, Keshav Maharaj (1/48) collected one wicket.
South African innings: Apart from Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and debutant Kyle Verreynne also played crucial knocks
The hosts got a poor start as the debutant opener Janneman Malan lost his wicket on the very first ball of that match. Another South African opener and captain Quinton de Kock also scored 15 runs while Temba Bavuma lost his wicket after scoring 26 runs.
Struggling on 48/3, another Proteas debutant Kyle Verreynne and Heinrich Klaasen handled that situation and controlled the game with a crucial 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Though Verreynne (48) just missed his half-century, Klaasen was not in the mood to give up.
For the fifth wicket, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller set the game-changing 149 runs partnership. While Miller scored 64 runs off 70 balls, Klaasen completed his maiden ODI century in 106 balls. At the end of that innings, Klaasen scored 123 not out off 114 balls (7 fours and 3 sixes).
Among the Australian bowlers, Pat Cummins (3/45) took three wickets, and Mitchell Starc (2/59) picked up two wickets while Josh Hazlewood (1/63) managed to take a wicket.