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South Africa on brink of elusive series win
- Updated: October 4, 2016
Match facts
October 5, 2016 Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)
Big Picture
South Africa are a victory away from sealing their first bilateral ODI series win against Australia in seven years. They have already put on two perfect performances to get to this point. South Africa will be particularly pleased with its batting line-up, which had been hit by the absence of AB de Villiers, but has found other superstars. Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis have gone big, Rilee Rossouw has supported them strongly, JP Duminy’s finishing ability is being fine-tuned and the allrounders have not had to do much. But, they will be aware that those showings came against a side missing its frontline, and even some of its second-choice seamers, and on surfaces made for big totals.
Daniel Worrall, Chris Tremain and Joe Mennie have endured a tough introduction to international cricket, but can expect things to relatively ease off as they head to the coast; on slower surfaces and in thicker air, the ball may not fly off the bat or to the boundary as quickly. More subtle skills will be required, and Adam Zampa could become even more of a factor, but for Australia to begin challenging in this series, they need their batsmen to come to the party in a big way. Converting starts will be one challenge for them, dealing with a varied South African attack that has found its focus is another.
The home team’s greatest luxury is the number of options at their disposal, and that is without even taking into account those sitting on the bench. Kyle Abbott, a Durban home-boy, Dwaine Pretorius and Aaron Phangiso have not made an appearance yet, and while South Africa may not want to tinker with a winning XI, they will also understand the importance of looking at what everyone can offer.
Durban may not be the place for that, and you would be forgiven for wondering if it is the place for cricket at all. The good news is that the outfield saga that resulted in no play on three of the five days of the New Zealand Test in August has been resolved, and Kingsmead is set to show …
