World Cup 2023 semifinal: Australia flooring South Africa prime order with Test match bowling and spectacular floor fielding

Off the second ball of Mitchell Starc’s fifth over, Rassie van der Dussen performed the proper cowl drive however discovered Marnus Labuschagne, who sprinted to his left and stopped the ball with a full-length dive. The tone of the afternoon had been set; there was simply no let-up from Australia with the ball or within the area.

Cloudy skies and intermittent drizzle welcomed the 2 semifinalists on the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. South Africa was adversely affected by the climate when it was eradicated from the ODI World Cups in 1992, 2003, and 2015. It most likely thought it was protected in Kolkata, particularly after selecting to bat on a pitch that appeared like it might flip because the match progressed.

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But the Aussie new-ball bowlers had different plans. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood bowled Test-match strains and lengths throughout marathon seven-over and six-over opening spells, respectively, and swung the ball each methods underneath lights.

For as a lot as the sport ‘has changed’, the gospel is that there isn’t any substitute for good approach constructed on a strong defence. Quinton de Kock, who has three lots of this event, trudged to a few from 14 balls however ran out of persistence and tried hitting out, solely to be caught fantastically by a backpedalling Pat Cummins.

It wasn’t as if South African batters didn’t strive enjoying their photographs, however on the odd event they did join, the trajectory of the ball was thwarted by the Aussie fielders. In reality, it took the Proteas 52 balls to attain their first boundary!

The menace was accentuated by Cummins’s proactive captaincy. He endured with two slips, which, whereas opening up the leg aspect, saved the cordon within the recreation given the deviation within the air and off the pitch.

It paid off when Van der Dussen nicked a barely fuller ball from Hazlewood to the second slip. Australia hardly ever provided a driving size, so once they did, it was tempting for the top-order batters to attain off—the proper lure.

While 4 down for 44 in 14 overs does increase questions on Temba Bavuma’s option to bat first, it goes with out saying that batting first gave South Africa its greatest probability. Even Cummins mentioned he would’ve batted first had he received the toss.

It is now as much as Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller to attempt to mount a fightback.