David Miller and Temba Bavuma starred for South Africa in a 32-run win in the second ODI on Sunday that clinched the series and once again exposed Australia’s struggles against spin. Miller smashed a belligerent 142 off 93 balls to notch up his eighth ODI century, while Bavuma scored 103, his sixth hundred in ODI cricket, as South Africa posted 365/9. Australia’s Jack Edwards , playing only his second ODI, took 5/67, while Josh Hazlewood , who dismissed Aiden Markram off the first ball for a golden duck, finished with 3/70 from his 10 overs.
The visitors will be aiming for a consolation win in the final game on Wednesday. The match also saw a disagreement between South Africa captain Bavuma and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock . It happened in the 48th over during a DRS review against Xavier Bartlett . De Kock also appeared unhappy and responded. Marco Jansen and David Miller could not help but smile at the scene. Sunday’s game marked the annual Pink Day fixture, which raises money for cancer research and treatment. Miller wore the name of his mother, Jenny, a breast cancer survivor, on the back of his jersey.
Australia went into the game without Josh Inglis , who was ruled out of the series with a fractured finger, and then lost strike bowler Nathan Ellis , who had to leave the field after bowling just four overs due to a side strain. Australia, which opted to chase for the second straight game after winning the toss, fell short in the run chase and were bowled out for 333 in the final over. Australia, a six-time World Cup champion in the format, has not won any of its six bilateral ODI series against South Africa since 2014. Just like in the Durban opener, where Australia lost by 67 runs, the visitors squandered a rollicking start to the chase from captain Mitchell Marsh (84) and Travis Head (84).
After opting for the review, Bavuma looked at de Kock and said something aggressively.
“Unbelievable innings by David and then the bowlers as well. There was a lot more spin than was expected. The way the spin complemented our attack was great.”
“Another good all-round team performance,” Bavuma said.
