Recent Match Report – South Africa vs India 3rd ODI 2022/23 – 21Sports News

Innings South Africa 99 (Klaasen 34, Kuldeep 4-18, Washington 2-15) vs India

This is the fourth time in ODI history that South Africa have bowled out for under 100, and the second time in 2022 after they were dismissed for 83 by England and adds to a mounting list of concerns ahead of the T20 World Cup. Regular captain Temba Bavuma, stand-in skipper Keshav Maharaj and wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi all sat out the fixture with an illness. While Maharaj is freshly infected, Bavuma and Shamsi also missed the second ODI and CSA said they are “feeling better” but were benched as a “precaution.” David Miller was tasked with leading the team for this match which is crucial to South Africa’s hopes of automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup.

They did themselves no favours in attempting to seal a win. No team has defended a score of less than 125 in a 50-over match, while South Africa’s lowest successful defence is 129. They will attempt to defend 99 without their pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who was rested for this match, and Wayne Parnell, who played in the previous two but made way for the other allrounders Andile Phehlukwayo and Marco Jansen.

Washington opened the bowling with Mohammed Siraj and immediately found spin. He troubled Quinton de Kock, who was beaten by a ball that just passed his outside edge, then top-edged a paddle that went over Sanju Samson and the lone slip. He soon slashed at a wide ball and sent it straight to Avesh Khan at short third.

Siraj was less problematic and Janneman Malan took advantage when he erred in length. Malan sent an overpitched ball through the covers, a short one through square leg and then hit the shot of the innings, in terms of timing and placement: a stunning drive. But his fun did not last long. Malan mistimed the next ball to Avesh at deep square, who had just been placed in the position. By that point, Reeza Hendricks had successfully reviewed being given out lbw to Avesh, when ball tracking showed it was too high, but couldn’t make his reprieve count. He was undone by a Siraj short ball which he sliced to short fine. South Africa finished the powerplay on 26 for 3 – their joint-lowest score since 2008.

Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen saw off five boundary-less overs before Markram’s trail-by-spin failed. Unlike in the first ODI, when he was foxed by Kuldeep, in this match, Shahbaz drew him forward and found the edge.

South Africa’s boundary drought ended when Siraj misfielded a Klaasen back foot punch at mid-on but Klaasen earned his next four, when he went back to pull a Shahbaz half-tracker through mid-wicket. He stayed in his crease to cut a Washington short ball but just when his partnership with Miller was starting to stabilise South Africa, Miller missed an arm ball and was bowled.

Andile Phehlukwayo misread a googly from Kuldeep and played on, which will not do his chances of replacing Dwaine Pretorius in the T20 World Cup squad any good. Marco Jansen, the other contender for Pretorius’ place, gave a better account of himself and sent Kuldeep over long-on for the innings’ only six. Klaasen, who did not play one shot on the front foot, couldn’t stay with him and was beaten by a Shahbaz ball that spun away and bowled before Kuldeep cleaned up the tail, finishing with his third four-for against South Africa. He struck Bjorn Fortuin under the knee-roll with a loopy delivery and then beat Anrich Nortje with a googly. His hat-trick ball was against Lungi Ngidi, who blocked it.

Jansen took South Africa close to 100 with a reverse sweep off Shahbaz but then tried to slog sweep Kuldeep and hit him to deep square. South Africa lost their last six wickets for 33 runs in 50 balls.