Key events
1st over: Australia 4-0 (Marsh 4, Head 0) Time for Big Marco to try to match his batting feats with the ball. But he’s bashed away! Second ball of the innings from Jansen, and Marsh plays that uncomplicated violent straight drive of his, cannoning back down the ground. He swings a couple more times in the over, but misses his pull and his swish outside off stump.
Geoff Lemon
Thanks Martin. Yep, your classic even-handed ODI at the halfway mark is this. The kind of target that could look like a stroll for either team if they have a good start, but as we saw during South Africa’s innings, this format leaves plenty of times for things to change. For Australia, the result is perhaps less important than the chance for two of their main quicks to tune up, but the batting corps has plenty to play for in the chase.
Martin Pegan
Thanks a lot for following along this far – it turned into a gripping start to Australia’s tour of South Africa. I’ll hand you over to Geoff Lemon to guide you through the chase.
Matthew Breetzke deserves all the flowers coming his way as he attempts to explain his imperious ODI form and second century in the format. Here he is speaking to Vernon Philander on the broadcast.
They [Australia] are one of the best in the world. So that just gets the juices flowing. I love playing against the big teams.
I think a clear role from the coaches in what I need to do and adapting the conditions [has been a key to success in the format]. We obviously lost early wickets and it was a bit tricky up front there. I had to build some partnerships and luckily got away.
Me and Marco have had good partnerships over the last year. I think we get each other going. He said just play your game and, yeah, it was a special innings.
South Africa set Australia 298-run target
Matthew Breetzke and Marco Jansen lift South Africa to 297-8 in the first innings of the ODI against Australia in Durban. Breetzke held the innings together early even while keeping the score ticking over and reached his second ODI century in as many balls. He was eventually being run out when on 112, while Jansen lit the fireworks late in the innings with 75 from only 59 deliveries. Nathan Ellis (57 for 3) impressed early but was unable to contain Jansen and might have been better off not poking the bear with some heated discussions in the death overs. Adam Zampa (50 for 2) took a couple of crucial wickets even when bowling too short at times, while Mitchell Starc (60 for 0) and Josh Hazlewood (50 for 1) were largely underwhelming.
WICKET! Coetzee run out (Inglis) 6 (South Africa 296-8)
Gerald Coetzee smacks Edwards for six over deep cover from the first ball he faces then fails to connect with his next three strokes before testing Inglis’s arm with one delivery remaining.
49th over: South Africa 278-6 (Jansen 71, Bosch 1) Corbin Bosch stands in the way of Jansen and Ellis renewing their simmering rivalry. He doesn’t have too much idea about a yorker but a thick edge earns him a boundary. Jansen reaches his highest score in ODIs with a boundary through point. But Ellis picks him up with the next delivery as a straighter ball crashes into the back pad. Australia has fallen behind the over-rate and are bowling the last two with an extra fielder inside the circle.
WICKET! Jansen lbw b Ellis 75 (South Africa 289-7)
Marco Jansen’s hugely entertaining knock comes to an end as he looks to hit a straight ball across the line and is trapped dead in front. He has a new highest score in ODIs with 75 from 59 balls with four sixes and seven boundaries.
48th over: South Africa 278-6 (Jansen 71, Bosch 1) Australia get a wicket just as everything seems to be going against them with Breetzke pushing the limits with his running between wickets. An impressive knock comes to an end for 112 from 106 balls. Edwards will be happy with only conceding five runs while being trusted to bowl at the death.
WICKET! Breetzke run out (Inglis) 112 (South Africa 275-6)
Matthew Breetzke was perhaps only going to get out one way today and he pays the price for assuming they were looking for two before Marco Jansen sends him back.
47th over: South Africa 273-5 (Breetzke 111, Jansen 68) Jansen is opening up now with a pair of boundaries while Ellis seems intent on delivery some robust feedback to the batter. The curious approach fails to pay off as Jansen clobbers the final ball of the over straight down the ground for a huge SIX! That brings up the 100-run partnership.
46th over: South Africa 256-5 (Breetzke 109, Jansen 53) Breetzke opens the face and eases a yorker from Hazlewood to the rope at deep third. He sends the Australian quick the other way with a boundary off the back foot and over cover.
45th over: South Africa 243-5 (Breetzke 100, Jansen 50) Matthew Breetzke celebrates with a huge scream as he reaches a hundred in an ODI for the second time. Jansen ends the over bringing up his own half-century from 46 balls as Connolly drops a tough chance on the run at long-on.
CENTURY! Breetzke reaches 100
The South African reaches his second ODI ton from 100 balls with two sixes and 12 boundaries. He set a cracking pace early and has kept it going even as it feels as if he has taken a back seat to Jansen through the latter stages.
44th over: South Africa 233-5 (Breetzke 92, Jansen 48) Jansen drags a slower ball from Ellis from well outside off to deep long-on for four. The margin for error is incredibly thin with the all-rounder in this sort of form.
43rd over: South Africa 227-5 (Breetzke 91, Jansen 43) Hazlewood gets the call to return and limits the South Africans to a pair of singles. That’s until Breetzke steps back and upper cuts a drive over backward point.
42nd over: South Africa 221-5 (Breetzke 86, Jansen 42) Edwards helps bring the run-rate back under control. Australia will take giving up three singles from a tidy over especially with Jansen still swinging wildly.
41st over: South Africa 218-5 (Breetzke 84, Jansen 41) SIX! Jansen goes large and cracks Starc into the back tier of the grandstand. He picks up the slower ball and launches it over deep mid-wicket with a 94 metre hit. The all-rounder finishes the over by picking up the attempted yorker and plundering one of the very best bowlers in the world back over his head to the rope. Australia were in command with South Africa barely more than crawling along but Jansen has quickly turned the game – he has scored 41 in the partnership of 50.
40th over: South Africa 208-5 (Breetzke 84, Jansen 31) Jansen gives himself some room to punch a square drive off Edwards to the rope. The debutant responds with a slower ball that slips out of his hands and down the leg-side. Edwards limits the damage from there with the South Africans picking up three singles from there.
39th over: South Africa 200-5 (Breetzke 83, Jansen 25) SIX! Jansen is done with hanging around as he picks up the flight from Zampa, takes one step down the pitch and sends the ball sailing over the long-on fence. The towering all-rounder does much the same again as he gets down on one knee and slog sweeps the leg-spinner into the crowd at deep midwicket. That brings up the 200 for South Africa just as they were getting bogged down.
38th over: South Africa 184-5 (Breetzke 82, Jansen 10) Ellis limits South Africa to just the two runs from the over but the batters will need to get motoring soon.
37th over: South Africa 182-5 (Breetzke 81, Jansen 9) Jansen opens up and swings hard at a fuller delivery from Starc. The South Africa all-rounder doesn’t quite connect sweetly but gets enough on it to reach the rope at deep midwicket. Starc almost responds with a delivery that moves away from the off-stump but Jansen isn’t good enough to get even a nick on it.
36th over: South Africa 175-5 (Breetzke 80, Jansen 3) Breetzke gives up a rare half-chance as he pulls Ellis but gets a top edge that flies high to backward square. Inglis races towards the drop but can’t get there in time and Breetzke survives.
35th over: South Africa 171-5 (Breetzke 78, Jansen 1) Starc returns with Australia hoping to take another wicket with Jansen fresh at the crease. Breetzke has no concern turning the strike over to the all-rounder with a single to mid-off, and Jansen adds another with a flick off the pads. Breetzke picks up one more to mid-wicket.
34th over: South Africa 168-5 (Breetzke 76, Jansen 0) Ellis picks up a wicket with his wicked variation leaving Miller all at sea. He took a quality reflex catch to send Miller on his way.
WICKET! Miller c & b Ellis 10 (South Africa 168-5)
Nathan Ellis returns and jumps straight into a pair of slower balls. David Miller has to check each of his shots but looks in little danger. But he fails to adjust in time to a straighter delivery as he spoons the ball back to the bowler and Ellis clings on to the catch while barely out of his delivery stride.
33rd over: South Africa 166-4 (Breetzke 75, Miller 10) Hazlewood is the next to strike Breetzke in the stomach. That’s the second big blow the South African has taken in the space of a few overs and he takes a hard earned breather.
32nd over: South Africa 165-4 (Breetzke 75, Miller 9) Breetzke takes to Edwards now as he gets on the front foot and punishes an overpitched delivery straight down the ground for four. Edwards gets one to nip back in and while he can’t take the crucial wicket he lands a nasty blow on Breetzke’s midriff.
31st over: South Africa 159-4 (Breetzke 70, Miller 8) Hazlewood takes the ball as Australia search for a wicket after the drinks break. Breetzke takes a few deliveries to pick up the line and length then launches a huge SIX over deep square leg. Hazlewood was barely short but Breetzke is in red-hot form.
30th over: South Africa 152-4 (Breetzke 63, Miller 8) Edwards keeps the pressure on with another tidy over as the batting pair pick up three singles. That’s drinks with this ODI evenly poised.
29th over: South Africa 149-4 (Breetzke 61, Miller 7) Breetzke gets down on one knee and smacks a drive through cover to the rope. He goes back-to-back with a pull off Zampa to deep mid-wicket where Starc dives to collect the ball but his foot crashes over the padding.
28th over: South Africa 138-4 (Breetzke 50, Miller 7) Jack Edwards gets the ball to jag back into the left-hander David Miller and it crashes into the South African’s back pad. The umpire waves away the appeal and Australia send it for a review. The only thing saving Miller – and denying Edwards a first ODI wickets – is umpire’s call as ball tracking shows it was clipping the bails. Miller survives again as a thick leading edge flies over cover but lands safely and the South African scamper through for a couple.
27th over: South Africa 134-4 (Breetzke 50, Miller 5) Millers gets off the mark with a flick off the pads to deep long-on and picks up two more behind square off Zampa.
26th over: South Africa 129-4 (Breetzke 50, Miller 0) Half-century for Breetzke. That’s the eighth time he has reached the mark in 14 ODIs. He brings it up with a cracking straight drive to the rope off Renshaw. The Australian part-timer ties him down to see out the rest of the over.
25th over: South Africa 125-4 (Breetzke 46, Miller 0) Rickelton was looking dangerous while scoring at a touch better than a run a ball but is on his way for 27 off 26. David Miller joins Breetzke at the crease as South Africa will appreciate having a bit of depth to their batting order.
WICKET! Rickelton c Renshaw b Zampa 27 (South Africa 125-4)
Rickelton takes on Renshaw on the rope at deep square and falls narrowly short of clearing the Australian. It is a tricky catch with Renshaw close to the boundary and perhaps receiving some live feedback from the crowd. He skips up on to one leg, clasps the catch, turns to the crowd and beams without needing to say a word. It was an ordinary ball from Zampa, far too short, but Rickelton paid for mistiming the stroke.
24th over: South Africa 123-3 (Breetzke 45, Rickelton 26) Edwards returns and Rickelton almost gives the all-rounder his first ODI wicket. Rickelton drives and gets a thick edge that flies wide of the keeper and past deep third to the rope. The next boundary is pure class as Rickelton cracks a straight drive wide of mid-off.
23rd over: South Africa 112-3 (Breetzke 44, Rickelton 16) Rickelton hammers Starc for back-to-back boundaries even as the left-armer is pushing into mid 140km/h deliveries. The first uses the pace to ease the ball through deep square and fine leg. The next is more impressive as Rickelton rocks back and cuts through point to the rope.