AFFIES were too good for Australia in Harare yesterday, and SA earned a rousing seven-wicket victory into the bargain.
The triangular series match was decided with 20 balls to spare, when SA reached 328/3 in reply to Australia’s 327/7.
AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, both graduates of the Pretoria high school and lifelong friends, scored more than three-quarters of the towering target between them with innings of 136 not out and 106.
Together they shared 206, SA’s biggest partnership for any wicket against the Aussies and just the Proteas’ seventh double-century stand in 511 one-day innings.
Du Plessis celebrated his first ODI century in his 49th innings. De Villiers made his 18th ton in the format in his 159th trip to the crease.
“It’s a special day,” said Du Plessis. “I got my first Test hundred against Australia (on debut in Adelaide in November, 2012) and it’s good to get this one against them.”
De Villiers, whose highest score in his three previous innings on SA’s tour of Zimbabwe was the 21 he made in the first ODI against the home side in Bulawayo, was reluctant to talk about his own performance save to say he “needed to score some runs”.
About Du Plessis, De Villiers said: “He brought a lot of calm and he batted so well.”
Du Plessis built his innings largely on orthodoxy and confidence, bar the odd audacious hook off the front foot.
But De Villiers did not so much push the corners of the envelope as rip it up, particularly when he found a way to flick James Faulkner over his shoulder for six while sitting cross-legged on the pitch.
That De Villiers spent most of his innings clutching his cramping left hamstring only added to his feat. That he never flinched from taking sharp singles or diving to make his ground elevated his effort to superhuman levels.
Du Plessis’ innings was chanceless, but De Villiers was dropped on 78 by Mitchell Johnson off his own bowling and on 86 by George Bailey at point off Kane Richardson. Neither chance was difficult.
Both batsmen reached their centuries by crashing Mitchell Starc through the covers in the 37th over, but Starc’s last ball also separated them – Du Plessis tried the front-foot hook trick once too often and was caught at midwicket.
Enter JP Duminy to power SA to victory with De Villiers in an unbroken stand of 71 that was realised in 8.1 overs.
Such was Du Plessis’ and De Villiers’ dominance that it was difficult to remember whether Australia batted yesterday.
They did, and while SA tamed Glenn Maxwell for seven they conceded 102 to Aaron Finch, 51 to Phillip Hughes and 66 to Bailey. They also leaked 93 runs in the last 10 overs.
It took superb bowling by Imran Tahir to reel in the Aussies, who were 83/0 when he was introduced in the 15th over. Tahir removed Hughes and Mitchell Marsh to reduce the Aussies to 115/2 in the 24th.
Australia needed Steve Smith’s 31 off 19 balls and Johnson’s 23 not out off eight to get them past 300.
Wayne Parnell was the weak link in SA’s attack, which made it all the more strange that De Villiers tossed him the ball to bowl the last over of Australia’s innings. Twenty runs flowed from it.
But, a few hours later, none of that mattered. What did matter was that Affies were too good for the Aussies.
Affies pair blow Oz right away
The triangular series match was decided with 20 balls to spare, when SA reached 328/3 in reply to Australia’s 327/7.
AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, both graduates of the Pretoria high school and lifelong friends, scored more than three-quarters of the towering target between them with innings of 136 not out and 106.
Together they shared 206, SA’s biggest partnership for any wicket against the Aussies and just the Proteas’ seventh double-century stand in 511 one-day innings.
Du Plessis celebrated his first ODI century in his 49th innings. De Villiers made his 18th ton in the format in his 159th trip to the crease.
“It’s a special day,” said Du Plessis. “I got my first Test hundred against Australia (on debut in Adelaide in November, 2012) and it’s good to get this one against them.”
De Villiers, whose highest score in his three previous innings on SA’s tour of Zimbabwe was the 21 he made in the first ODI against the home side in Bulawayo, was reluctant to talk about his own performance save to say he “needed to score some runs”.
About Du Plessis, De Villiers said: “He brought a lot of calm and he batted so well.”
Du Plessis built his innings largely on orthodoxy and confidence, bar the odd audacious hook off the front foot.
But De Villiers did not so much push the corners of the envelope as rip it up, particularly when he found a way to flick James Faulkner over his shoulder for six while sitting cross-legged on the pitch.
That De Villiers spent most of his innings clutching his cramping left hamstring only added to his feat. That he never flinched from taking sharp singles or diving to make his ground elevated his effort to superhuman levels.
Du Plessis’ innings was chanceless, but De Villiers was dropped on 78 by Mitchell Johnson off his own bowling and on 86 by George Bailey at point off Kane Richardson. Neither chance was difficult.
Both batsmen reached their centuries by crashing Mitchell Starc through the covers in the 37th over, but Starc’s last ball also separated them – Du Plessis tried the front-foot hook trick once too often and was caught at midwicket.
Enter JP Duminy to power SA to victory with De Villiers in an unbroken stand of 71 that was realised in 8.1 overs.
Such was Du Plessis’ and De Villiers’ dominance that it was difficult to remember whether Australia batted yesterday.
They did, and while SA tamed Glenn Maxwell for seven they conceded 102 to Aaron Finch, 51 to Phillip Hughes and 66 to Bailey. They also leaked 93 runs in the last 10 overs.
It took superb bowling by Imran Tahir to reel in the Aussies, who were 83/0 when he was introduced in the 15th over. Tahir removed Hughes and Mitchell Marsh to reduce the Aussies to 115/2 in the 24th.
Australia needed Steve Smith’s 31 off 19 balls and Johnson’s 23 not out off eight to get them past 300.
Wayne Parnell was the weak link in SA’s attack, which made it all the more strange that De Villiers tossed him the ball to bowl the last over of Australia’s innings. Twenty runs flowed from it.
But, a few hours later, none of that mattered. What did matter was that Affies were too good for the Aussies.
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