The Proteas team suffered a defeat in the damp conditions during the third ODI in Portcheffstrum, and Toni de Zorcy's injury has caused serious concern ahead of the start of the Test series.
Australia Tour to South Africa
Middle-order batter Tristan Stubbs once again performed unsatisfactorily when Proteas arrived in Australia for the third ODI in Portcheffstrum. The Australians, who have always favored this picturesque university town since Ricky Ponting's victorious 2003 World Cup, showed their best performance in the three-match series at the North West Oval on Wednesday, defeating Proteas by a revised Duckworth-Lewis margin of 45 runs.
Although the match was 'dead' after Proteas secured victory in the pink ODI last Sunday, and coach Shukri Conrad made five changes, including resting captain Temba Bavuma before the long-awaited Test series, the Australians likely want to believe that the foundations for success were laid in the same place as many years ago when the World Cup returned to Africa for the first time in 24 years.
Australia's opening batters, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head, started aggressively again, taking the first attack of the series after vice-captain Aiden Markram came onto the field for the visitors.
Match Result
Rain became the decisive factor, allowing Australia to win the third ODI by 47 runs (DLS). The series concluded with The Proteas winning 2–1. Although this was not the desired outcome, the team won the series and moves on, shifting focus to the Test series.
Marsh scored his second half-century in a row in just 33 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes. This added another 78 runs in 8.4 overs, totaling 90 and 130 runs across the three matches. Unfortunately, both players fell quickly: Corbin Bosch dismissed Head (24), and left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin was responsible for Marsh (56), leaving Australia at 94/2.
Even after Cooper Connolly (23) was dismissed shortly after by bowler Gerald Kotzee, the Australian middle order did not falter after such promising starts as in the previous two ODIs. This is partly explained by the impressive performance of 20-year-old Oliver Pike at number 4, as well as the absence of Australia's arch-rival Keshav Maharaj, who was also rested.
Pike scored a solid 48 runs, but the real standout was the return to form of wicketkeeper/batter Alex Carey (74), who reached his first half-century in over a year. Matt Renshaw also contributed by scoring 30 runs, and Cameron Green chipped in with 23 runs, allowing Australia to reach an impressive total of 322/9.
Proteas' outstanding bowler was Corbin Bosch with figures of 4/60, while both seamers, Gerald Kotzee (2/61) and Lizzad Williams (2/48), took two wickets each.
Ryan's Half-Century!
Proteas' chase began under the worst possible scenario when Quinton de Kock was caught in the deep without scoring any runs. Markram struggled to find rhythm in his 16 balls before receiving a strike from Xavier Bartlett against the batsmen. It is concerning that Markram played only 16 balls in two innings mid-season before the next Test series.
Ryan Rickelton did not damage his World Cup ambitions, showing an incomplete score of 71 runs off 81 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes), but the same cannot be said for Tristan Stubbs, as the right-hander failed to score in the second match in a row. Similarly, Matthew Britzke will be disappointed that he could not convert two starts after his century in the first match of the series in Durban last week.
However, what is noteworthy is that besides the loss that occurred when the skies opened, leaving Proteas at 154/4 after 28 overs, the home side now faces another hamstring issue after Toni de Zorcy left the field during the Australia game and was unable to play. De Zorcy is in the preliminary squad for the Test series of 18 players, but his participation in the series, especially in the first match in nine days in Kingsmead, is now doubtful.
