Australia registered a nervy three-wicket victory over South Africa in the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday (November 16).
Opting to bat first, the Proteas were bowled out for a paltry 212 in 49.4 overs. David Miller waged a lone battle with the bat for South Africa as he scored 101 off 116 balls.
For Australia, the pace troika of Mitchell Starc (3-34), Pat Cummins (3-51) and Josh Hazlewood (2-12) ran through the South African batting line-up, claiming eight wickets between them. Travis Head also returned with a couple of scalps with his part-time off-spin.
In reply, the Aussies got off to a blazing start as the duo of Travis Head and David Warner added 61 runs for the opening wicket in just six overs.
However, the five-time champions lost Warner (29) and Mitchell Marsh (0) in quick succession to find themselves struggling at 61/2. Subsequently, Head stitched a 45-run partnership with Steve Smith before getting out on 62 off 48 balls.
After Head’s dismissal, Australia kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The likes of Smith (30), Marnus Labuschagne (18), Glenn Maxwell (1) and Josh Inglis (28) failed to finish the job and exposed the tail.
When Australia were in a spot of bother at 193/7, Starc (16*) and Cummins (14*) teamed up to take their team over the line with 16 deliveries to spare. Tabraiz Shamsi (2-42) and Gerald Coetzee (2-47) were the pick of the bowlers for South Africa.
With this victory, Australia set up a final date with hosts India, slated to be held in Ahmedabad on November 19.
Cricket fraternity lauded the Australian team for holding their nerves under pressure and sympathized with the South African side for losing another World Cup semi-final.
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