Australia won the second ODI against South Africa in Bloemfontein by 123 runs.
Marnus Labuschagne first knocked the smoke out of the Protea bowlers, after which Adam Zampa took the wind out of the sails of the home team’s willow fans.
Quinton de Kock (45), Temba Bavuma (46), Heinrich Klaasen (49) and David Miller (49) bravely continued to bat in third gear, but they were back in the dressing room before they could switch to a higher gear.
“We have to play better. Australia were already at their best in the first delivery of the match. Attitude is definitely something we will have to look at,” Bavuma said after the matchup.
According to the Protea captain, his team was not up to Australia’s aggressive approach.
“The biggest challenge now is to put the defeats behind us and concentrate on the remaining games. Honest discussions are needed and we need to straighten ourselves out to play competitive cricket against Australia.”
Mitchell Marsh was obviously in his element with his team’s performance.
“The batsmen were incredible and it’s a very good day for Australia. Our local cricket system and the coaches undoubtedly deserve a pat on the back for the way they get everyone ready for the challenges of international cricket,” said the Aussie captain.
Labuschagne, who was born in Klerksdorp, was named the player of the match for his magnificent innings of 124 runs.
“I think we actually could have scored more runs. If we had been a little more attacking, we could have had 430 runs on the scoreboard.”
The third match in the series will be decided on Tuesday in Potchefstroom. The action starts at 13:00.
- Scorecard Summary:
Australia 392/8 in 50 overs: Marnus Labuschagne 124, David Warner 106 and Tabraiz Shamsi 4/61.
South Africa 269/10 in 41.5 overs: Heinrich Klaasen 49, David Miller 49 and Adam Zampa 4/48.
