The allrounder notched up career-bests with both bat and ball as Australia suffered a third straight 100-plus run loss
Firdose Moonda17-Sep-2023Marco Jansen blasted 47 off 23 balls and took his first ODI five-wicket haul to notch up career bests with both bat and ball on a Super Sunday for South Africa. They completed a come-from-behind win in the ODI series against Australia minutes after the Springboks notched up a second Rugby World Cup victory to mark the start of the summer season with success.After starting the series with two losses and down 2-0 in the five-game series, South Africa surged back to win the next three ODIs and take a morale-boosting series win to the World Cup. Their victories were all built on strong performances from the batting line-up, which provided the attack with sufficient runs to defend. The same formula worked at a packed Wanderers, where South Africa accumulated well on a tricky pitch and then Jansen used the short ball to get rid of Australia’s entire top five.Jansen’s perfect day began when he got to the crease after Aiden Markram and David Miller’s 109-run fifth-wicket partnership, which laid the foundation for South Africa to finish strongly. Although Markram and Miller found it difficult to get the fluency going despite what their half-centuries suggest, Jansen showed his intent straightaway when he flicked Tim David off his pads for four. He scored 18 runs off the first 13 balls he faced and looked the most comfortable of the South African batters at the crease before he mis-hit Cameron Green to long-on. David dropped what should have been a simple catch and Jansen made the most of his let off.He went on to hit Sean Abbott over extra cover for four and top-edged him over deep square for six. When Australia opted to bring David back in the 46th over, Jansen’s eyes lit up and he took 15 runs off the first four balls. By then, he had been joined by Andile Phehlukwayo, who drove Green through Inglis’ hands at deep cover, and underlined South Africa’s aggressive approach at the end.Jansen toe-ended Green to Abbott to fall short of a first half-century in the format but Phehlukwayo took over. He slashed Abbott over long-off for six and Michael Neser for back-to-back-to-back big hits on the leg side and finished with four through the covers. South Africa scored 34 runs in the last two overs to take their total over 300.Aiden Markram and David Miller put on 109 off 107 balls•AFP/Getty Images
Australia made a good start to the chase and scored 34 after three overs before Jansen was introduced. His second ball was back of a length on the fifth stump and moved back into David Warner, who was cramped for room as he tried to cut it away. He hit the ball to Markram at point, who took a good, low catch to give Jansen his first. Four balls later, he banged one in short which had Josh Inglis in all sorts of trouble. The batter stayed back for the pull but could get a chop back onto his stumps.Jansen and Lungi Ngidi worked well in tandem to put Australia under pressure and only Marsh was able to get them away. When Jansen overstepped and then overpitched, Marsh punished him but the bowler soon adjusted. He pulled the length back and Marsh tried to launch him over mid-wicket but skied it instead. Gerald Coetzee got under the ball but seemed to lose it in the sun to give Marsh a let off on 35. He went on double that score plus one and eventually fell to Jansen in his second spell. Marsh tried to upper cut a short ball but was caught well by a running Ngidi at deep third.In his next over, Jansen had Marnus Labuschagne caught at long leg off a top edge before Alex Carey gloved down the leg side where Quinton de Kock, in his final ODI at home, put in a full-length dive to give Jansen his first five-for.Just as it seemed no other bowler would get in on the action, Keshav Maharaj bowled David and took a good return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Green. Batting collapses have been a familiar problem for Australia in this series and this time they lost 8 for 69 and only had three partnerships that were worth more than 12 runs.Keshav Maharaj finished with career-best ODI figures of 4 for 33•AFP/Getty Images
By contrast, South Africa had seven stands over 20. Although Temba Bavuma was run out for a duck, there were contributions from most of the line-up, despite the tricky conditions and a much better Australian bowling performance than two days ago.The visiting attack focused on good lengths and tight lines. Neser, Abbott, Nathan Ellis and Green conceded at under six runs an over, but it was Adam Zampa who enjoyed the sweetest of redemptions. After equalling the most expensive bowling figures in ODIs – 0 for 113 – at Centurion, he returned to take 3 for 71 in this match, including the big wicket of Heinrich Klaasen, who contributed just 6.There were other finishers on hand, though, and Phehlukwayo’s 19-ball 38 not out and 1 for 44 could prove particularly important as South Africa finalise their World Cup squad. He isn’t in it at the moment but with Sisanda Magala battling a knee injury, could merit a call-up.
