Key events
29th over: Australia 149-6 (Marsh 75, Dwarshuis 25) Burger returns with the job of knocking over Dwarshuis but he starts by getting spanked for two fours in a row. Too much width on offer and Dwarshuis can free his hands while staying inside the line. Burger straights but then strays again, giving up an easy single out in the deep. Two more singles means that 11 from the over. The partnership is now up to 64.
28th over: Australia 142-6 (Marsh 74, Dwarshuis 19) Marsh drops to one knee and lifts Markram for four behind square on the leg side. He then leans back and takes two down to deep point. Momentum is shifting towards the home side. Feels like South Africa are just passively waiting for a mistake.
27th over: Australia 136-6 (Marsh 68, Dwarshuis 19) Maharaj signs off with figures of 10-1-33-5. At once stage he had 5-9 from five overs. This final set was worth three runs. Brilliant bowling but the Saffas are letting this drift a little.
26th over: Australia 133-6 (Marsh 65, Dwarshuis 18) It’s starting to feel a little easy for the Aussies. Another Markram comes and goes without any fuss. Seven comfortable runs picked up by the batters. Dwarshuis seems at ease. After Maharaj’s final over coming up I’d be bringing back the quicks.
25th over: Australia 125-6 (Marsh 61, Dwarshuis 16) Maharaj will bowl through. Fair play. Just two runs off that over. Twice Marsh goes back to full balls – one was practically a half volley – and twice he has to jam the bat down quickly to avoid getting trapped lbw or bowled. Is it the flight? Is it the pace? Is it a deliberate ploy that the Aussies have adopted? Not sure it’s the right approach. Something to keep an eye on as we build towards a World Cup in Sri Lanka.
24th over: Australia 123-6 (Marsh 60, Dwarshuis 14) South Africa are rattling through the overs. Either way we’ll be done pretty soon. Marsh is ticking along at more than a run a ball. Just two singles from this Markram over who is tidy without being penetrating. The required rate is now hovering closer to seven than six.
23rd over: Australia 121-6 (Marsh 59, Dwarshuis 13) Maharaj seems to be flagging a bit but he almost gets Dwarshuis. One ripped back into the lefty and clipped the pad. There’s a half appeal but it was turning too much. Then there’s a chance of a catch at short mid-on but it lands just short. A wide down the leg, a couple through midwicket and a single for both batters adds up to five off the over. Maybe time to give Kesh a breather?
22nd over: Australia 116-6 (Marsh 58, Dwarshuis 10) Markram replaces Subrayen. Marsh leans back and pierces the small gap between point and cover, collecting another boundary. Markram gets one to turn back into the right-hander but that over is won by the Aussies who bagged seven runs from it. After the dramatic collapse, they’ve scored 24-0 from the last five overs.
21st over: Australia 109-6 (Marsh 52, Dwarshuis 9) The scoreboard keeps ticking along and Marsh has his half century. So it’s not game over as far as the Aussies are concerned. A four through the covers from Marsh shows that there are runs to be had. Maharaj has bowled seven overs, picked up five wickets and coughed up a miserly 23 runs.
Marsh gets his 50
Job’s not done, but that’s something to cheer. A rare poor ball from Maharaj is duly spanked off the back foot through the covers. Marsh is subdued as he raises his bat. He knows there’s plenty left to do.
20th over: 102-6 (Marsh 47, Dwarshuis 8) Tidy yet again from Subrayen. One was tossed up and beat Marsh in the flight, but the big unit was well forward and could reach it away from his body. He collects a couple with a nicely placed cut into the deep. Three singles elsewhere means the scoreboard ticks along.
19th over: Australia 98-6 (Marsh 44, Dwarshuis 6) Once again a batter goes back to a Maharaj delivery that shoots through from a fullish length. Marsh, unlike his mates, manages to get his bat down and keep it out. Four singles from that over. The required rate is only a touch over 6. But it is climbing.
18th over: Australia 94-6 (Marsh 42, Dwarshuis 4) Subrayen should have had another. But his spin mate shelled a sitter at cover. Dwasrshuis pressed forward and lazily swatted at it. Maharaj must have been thinking of hauling in Imran Tahir’s record figures of 7-45. Just one run off that over, a single to Marsh.
Maharaj drops a sitter!
It’s not a perfect night for Kesh. Standing at extra cover I reckon his mind was elsewhere as he reacted slowly to that Dwarshuis drive to Subrayen.
17th over: Australia 93-6 (Marsh 41, Dwarshuis 4) It’s Marsh or bust now for Australia. Maharaj has a wicket for every over he’s bowled but he leaves this annoyed after new batter Dwarshuis smokes his first bad ball for four through the covers.
WICKET! Hardie b Maharaj 4 (Australia 89-6)
MAHARAJ HAS A FIVE-FOR! It’s his first in ODI cricket. It’s a ripper. Another one. Hardie presses forward, playing down a straight line to cover the drift towards him. But it grips in the surface and spins past the outside edge, clipping off-stump. The commentators are giving the Aussie batters pelters but all the credit should be going to Maharaj who is putting on a masterclass. Sensational bowling. He has 5-9 from 4.2 overs. Unreal.
16th over: Australia 89-5 (Marsh 42, Hardie 4) Marsh rocks back and spoons a pull shot over Bavuma at backward square leg. It bobbles away for the first boundary since the seventh over. Hardie’s outside edge gets him a single which means there’s six runs off that Subrayen set.
15th over: Australia 83-5 (Marsh 36, Hardie 3) Marsh goes back to another full from Maharaj and almost gets trapped lbw. Not sure why the Aussies are so determined to play on the back foot to him. Though it’s easy to question techniques sitting on the couch. There’s a cry of ‘caaaatch’ as Marsh mistimes a drive into the covers. It’s wide of the fielder and they collect a single, one of four through the over. Maharaj has figures of 4-9 from his four overs.
14th over: Australia 79-5 (Marsh 34, Hardie 1) Subrayen isn’t as destructive as Maharaj, but he’s doing a great job keeping things tight at the other end. Marsh works a couple through the off-side after making room and then both batters collect singles.
13th over: Australia 75-5 (Marsh 31, Hardie 0) A double wicket maiden from Maharaj. Brilliant bowling. The Aussies don’t know whether to play forward or back to him. Some are skidding. Some are floating. Most are turning off the pitch. Just brilliant bowling by a finger spinner at the top of his game. Marsh has to play something close to the innings of his life to get his team over the line from here.
WICKET! Carey lbw Maharaj (Australia 75-5)
Carey is gone first ball! He’s been yorked by Majaraj. Rather, he’s yorked himself by sweeping a full ball on leg stump. Maharaj went up straight away with a huge appeal. He knew it was out. Carey reviewed but that was hitting the top of middle. Australia have lost five wickets for 15 runs. Maharaj has four of them and is on a hat-trick.
THE FINGER GOES UP! Maharaj is convinced he’s bagged Carey first ball! A full ball, almost a yorker, is swept but misses the bat and hits the front pad. Looks out. It’s given out. Carey reviews but I reckon he’s a goner.
WICKET! Inglis b Maharaj 5 (Australia 75-4)
Maharaj is on fire! Inglis plays back to a ball that was too full to do so. Pushed through a little quicker by Maharaj who seemed to know exactly what Inglis was going to do. The Australian was in no position to play that through the covers and is castled, looking pretty ordinary in the process. From 60 for no loss the Aussies are 15-4 since the 8th over.
12th over: Australia 75-3 (Marsh 31, Inglis 5) Subrayen almost beats Marsh who went back to a full ball and just about got his bat down in time. There were five singles across the set before that. Inglis needs to dig in here and keep the striking turning.
11th over: Australia 70-3 (Marsh 29, Inglis 2) South Africa have turned this around. Actually, South Africa’s spinners have turned this around. Maharaj is so good. He just knows exactly what he needs to do. Green looked befuddled as he left the field, unsure how he missed that. A big job now for the Aussies to rebuild. Bavuma’s gamble of playing two spinners is paying off.
WICKET! Green b Maharaj 3 (Australia 67-3)
And another one! In a flash South Africa are all over the Aussies. Maharaj floats it up to Green with pace off. It grips in the surface and turns past Green’s meek forward prod, clattering the stumps behind him. Another ripper from Maharaj.
10th over: Australia 67-2 (Marsh 28, Green 3) Another tidy one from Subrayen. Just three singles off that one. South Africa’s tweakers are putting the squeeze on.
9th over: Australia 63-2 (Marsh 26, Green 1) Well, what a difference a couple of overs can make. Two wickets from two spinners has South Africa back in this one. Maharaj got Marnus with a ripper and almost squeezed one past Green first up. Cam got off the mark with a single and Marsh also added one to the total with a toe-end drive down the ground.
WICKET! Labuschagne lbw Maharaj 1 (Australia 61-2)
That is a jaffa! What a beauty from Maharaj. His first ball drifts towards Labuschagne before ripping across him. Marnus was totally squared up and played all around it with a push from the bottom hand. He’s had his struggles against left-arm spinners but there’s no shame going out to that one. He reviewed but never looked confident. Three reds confirm it was hitting the top of off after pitching on leg. Sometimes you just have to give credit to the bowler.
Marnus is pinned on the pads and is given out! He reviews, but doesn’t look confident. Marahaj, bowling his first ball, was convinced. Let’s see….
8th over: Australia 61-1 (Marsh 25, Labuschagne 1) A great over from Subrayen turns momentum slightly back towards the Saffas with a crucial wicket. Marnus, back in the team, takes five balls to get off the mark with a smear wide of mid-off.
WICKET! Head st Rickelton b Subrayen 27 (Australia 60-1)
From nowhere! That was totally against the run of play. Credit to the bowler who slowed the pace right down, perhaps spotting that Head was eager to charge down the track. It also held up in the pitch and by the time Head reached it he was in no position to play the heave over the leg side. A simple job for the keeper behind the stumps gets the breakthrough South Africa desperately needed.
7th over: Australia 60-0 (Head 27, Marsh 25) A change of ends for Ngidi but it’s still a handy over for the Aussies. It was more or less tidy, despite a leg side wide, until Marsh came on strike for the last ball. The big opener once again spotted the slower ball early and climbed into a lash through the off side for four.
6th over: Australia 53-0 (Head 26, Marsh 21) Bavuma has no choice but to go to spin early, tossing the ball to Prenelen Subrayen inside the powerplay. The Aussies are watchful, taking just three singles down the ground. Some neat fielding by Maharaj in the covers keeps things tidy.
5th over: Australia 50-0 (Head 25, Marsh 19) Burger takes a pasting. Five boundaries in the set. One was a genuine edge off Head’s bat, but the rest were all crunched off the middle. He started by swatting down the ground, then there was a wide before a heave over midwicket. Next came the edge before two thumps through the off-side.
4th over: Australia 29-0 (Head 5, Marsh 19) This was a better over from Ngidi who kept Head quiet, reducing him to just a sliced single down to deep third. Then a slower ball was served up to Marsh who pressed forward and belted it over cover for four. Bavuma has his hands on his hips. This is threatening to get out of hand early on for the tourists.
3rd over: Australia 24-0 (Head 4, Marsh 15) Marsh throws his hand at the first delivery he faces from Burger and flashes it over point for four. Burger straightens and gets Marsh lunging forward, finding the inside half of the bat, but the burly Aussie gets enough wood on it to see it trickle towards the midwicket boundary. A bumper brings out a hoik and a top edge, but it lands safely in deep in front of fine leg.
Good start for Australia.
2nd over: Australia 14-0 (Head 4, Marsh 5) Lungi Ngidi opens the other end. He’s got it swinging early but one starts too straight and continues to hoop down the leg side, flying wide of a diving Rickelton for five runs. Ngidi tightens up but Marsh, hanging on the back foot, picks one up and hoists it towards cow corner for a one-bounce four. A single towards mid-on keeps him on strike.
1st over: Australia 4-0 (Head 4, Marsh 0) Burger is over the wicket to Head looking to angle it back into the Aussie. It’s quick – around the mid 140s – but there’s width on offer. Twice Head picks out the fielders in a packed off-side but he threads the needle with a lashing drive and hits the first boundary of the chase.
Burger v Head. Lefty v lefty. Lovely stuff. And they’re off!
The Proteas have gathered on the boundary. They’re ready to let rip.
No Rabada so a big job for some of the deupities. I’m really excited to see Nandre Burger let rip with that meaty left arm of his.
And with two spinners in the mix this could be interesting during the middle overs.
It’ll be a good chase from here but I’m going to stick my neck out and say Australia get there with a couple overs to spare.
Daniel Gallan
Thanks Martin, a top innings from you mate.
Hello everyone. The commentators, including Martin, reckon this is a handy total by the Saffas. It is a record total on this ground, so there’s that. But this feels about 20 to 30 short for me.
Maybe that’s me being a pessimist after the shocking trio of results for my countrymen over the weekend. (Please, no mention of the rugby, the T20 cricket or the loss of Dricus du Plessis, I promise my Aussie mates have given me enough stick already).
So, can the bowlers give the Rainbow Nation something to smile about? We’ll find out soon enough.
Thanks for following along through the first half of this ODI. Fans in the Top End have already enjoyed three exciting white-ball matches and another looks to be on the cards in Cairns. Daniel Gallan will take the reins from here as Australia chase a tricky target.
South Africa opener Aiden Markram was in total control from the get-go to compile 82 from 81 balls before giving up his wicket with a thin edge to the keeper, while skipper Temba Bavuma added 65 while steering his side through the middle overs. Matthew Breetzke (57) was just about to get motoring when he holed out in the deep but Australia would have breathed a sigh of relief when Dewald Brevis (6) was caught second ball in his ODI debut.
Josh Hazlewood (0-36) clamped down with a typically tight line and length as South Africa were happy to see off the quick, but few would have predicted Travis Head (4-57) doing most of the damage.
Australia like to chase – especially when Mitch Marsh has the reins – and will like their chances of reaching their target under lights even after South Africa compiled the highest total of the six ODIs that have been played at the venue.
Australia need 297 to win
Wiaan Mulder ends the South Africa innings with a huge six to lift the tourists to 296-8. It was just the third six of the innings as South Africa relied on more sensible batting to build a record total at Cazalys Stadium without taking too many risks.
WICKET! Subrayen run out (Head) 1 (South Africa 285-8)
Travis Head, you can’t do that! Or can he? Wiaan Mulder plays a straight drive and the ball deflects off Head’s right hand and onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Whether Head meant it or not, only he will truly know. But he appears to have cupped his hand to direct the ball behind him, and is certainly a freakish enough cricketer that I’m willing to back him in.
49th over: South Africa 285-8 (Mulder 22, Burger 0)
WICKET! Maharaj c Green b Head 13 (South Africa 284-7)
Keshav Maharaj steps back to give himself room but can only slice the shot to Cameron Green inside the long-off boundary. Travis Head has four wickets and three balls remaining to claim his first ODI five-for.
48th over: South Africa 281-6 (Mulder 21, Maharaj 11) Nathan Ellis is back again and bowling to Keshav Maharaj. The South Africa spinner sees off a couple of dot balls before swinging wildly for a hard-earned single. Maharaj ends the over back on strike and clubs Ellis to the mid-off boundary. Ellis ends wicketless and goes for 54 runs from his 10 overs.
47th over: South Africa 275-6 (Mulder 20, Maharaj 6) South Africa have posted the highest-score in the six ODIs that have been held at Cazalys Stadium though the sense is that they have left too many behind with some overly cautious batting. Four singles from Zampa’s 10th over and he finishes with 1 for 58.
46th over: South Africa 271-6 (Mulder 18, Maharaj 4) Ben Dwarshuis perhaps outsmarts Temba Bavuma with some clever bowling around the wicket to leave South Africa on the ropes for the death overs. Keshav Maharaj gets off the mark with an unconvincing thick edge that races to the third man boundary.