ICC World Cup 2023: Australia vs South Africa confirmed Lucknow has learnt from its errors

After coming into a lot criticism following the final worldwide match performed right here, the relaid pitch on the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium gave an excellent account of itself throughout its first World Cup match between Australia and South Africa.

India had struggled to overtake a 100-run goal in January this yr, prompting captain Hardik Pandya to time period it “a shocker of a wicket” and in addition ensuing within the dismissal of curator Surendra Yadav.

However, on Thursday, South Africa racked up a sizeable 311 in 50 overs earlier than Australia was bundled out for 177.

The pitch supplied good bounce and switch underneath the scorching solar within the first innings earlier than Australia’s batting collapse, catalysed partly by beneficial bowling situations within the latter half of the sport, ensured the pitch hadn’t swung to the opposite excessive of a flat deck.

Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins had reckoned the wicket had good tempo and bounce on match eve and his phrases have been vindicated by the prevailing situations throughout the match and Marnus Labuschagne’s phrases after it.

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“It certainly felt like conditions were nipping around. It was quite (a) steep bounce out there,” he stated, including that the dew did come into the equation in a while however Australia didn’t have sufficient wickets left by then.

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, who picked three wickets in his facet’s 134-run win, concurred.

“Under lights, it just seemed to zip that extra bit more. But the word during the day was that it was it had a bit of pace in it and a bit of bounce in it and I guess, with a bit of the moisture at night, it just did a bit more,” he opined.

Rabada additionally stated that the wicket regarded totally different from what it had throughout the IPL (Indian Premier League). Sportstar had reported final month that the pitch had been dug up and salt accumulation was discovered, following which a secure acid was used to dissolve the deposits and modify soil pH.

Rabada, who picked three wickets in his facet’s 134-run win, stated that the wicket regarded totally different from what it had throughout the IPL (Indian Premier League). 
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In one other testimony to the altered situations, Quinton de Kock hammered a 90-ball century that included 5 sixes.

His three pulled maximums indicated there was good bounce on supply and the batters usually performed by way of the road solely embellished the identical. Openers de Kock and Temba Bavuma’s 108-run stand was additionally the best for the primary wicket on the venue.

Glenn Maxwell was the choose of the bowlers for Australia with two for 34 in 10 boundary-less overs and he extracted good flip, as was evident proper from the primary ball he bowled that spun throughout sharply from center to outdoors leg-stump.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa additionally received flip from his opening over, discovering Bavuma’s outdoors edge with a decent leg-break just for wicketkeeper Josh Inglis to drop the catch.

At the dying, Australia’s Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood discovered help off the pitch as their cutters and back-of-a-length slower deliveries meant South Africa may muster solely 48 runs within the final seven overs for the lack of 4 wickets.

Batting underneath lights proved barely harder because the wickets of openers Mitchell Marsh and David Warner recommend. Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi’s deliveries appeared to carry onto the pitch a bit, leading to Marsh and Warner taking part in their pictures too early.

Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi have been economical and picked 4 wickets however there was nothing within the wicket to recommend there was inordinate help for spinners, as was the case within the India versus New Zealand T20I in January, the place the tweakers bowled a document 30 out of the 40 overs.

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New Zealand’s skipper Mitchell Santner had even joked after that sport that in a bid to bowl as many overs of spin as doable, he had requested pacer Lockie Ferguson to attempt his hand at off-spin.

The newest season of the IPL additionally noticed some low scores being defended efficiently, together with two beneath 140 totals that resulted within the venue being thought of as a poor commercial of the T20 sport.

Even although the venue performed host to Australia’s heaviest defeat in World Cup historical past on Thursday, the Aussies have one other shot at redemption on Monday after they tackle Sri Lanka right here earlier than India faces England on October 29.