We pinpoint the talking points from South Africa’s defeat in the third ODI in Canberra on Wednesday.
Shot of the day: It came from the unlikely bat of Dale Steyn. He stood tall and crunched arguably Australia’s bowler of the series, Josh Hazlewood, straight back over his head for a mighty six.
Delivery of the day: Mitchell Starc produced an in-swinging yorker that Wasim Akram would have been proud of to get rid of David Miller. The speed and reverse swing made it unplayable, but replays suggested that Miller was a little unfortunate to be adjudged lbw.
Batsman of the match: There were two tons made in the match, but Steve Smith’s unbeaten 55-ball 73 earn him this award. He was incredibly innovative at the end of Australia’s innings and propelled them to an impregnable total.
Bowler of the match: Mitchell Starc’s figures of 4-32 in eight overs make him the only contender in this category. He kept the runs down and struck at regular intervals on a pitch tailor made for the batsmen.
Fielder of the match: Faf du Plessis earned this award with his exploits in the final over of the Australian innings. It went for 19, but would have been even worse if it wasn’t for some inspired fielding. He jumped high into the air and over the boundary at long-on, palming a certain six back into play. Just for good measure he also took a one-handed diving catch centimetres above the turf, but it didn’t count as Morne Morkel had over-stepped.
Milestone of the day: Aaron Finch scored his fifth ODI century. It laid the foundation for Steve Smith’s heroics at the death and helped Australia take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Fail of the day: Rilee Rossouw came in to bat in the prime position of number four. He scored just two runs and was the only batsman in the top five of either innings not to get a start.
Key juncture: Kane Richardson put Australia in control of the match with the second ball of the 37th over. He trapped AB de Villiers plumb in from for a dynamic 34-ball 52. Had the South African skipper survived the powerplay, he would have almost done enough damage to settle the result.
Selection poser: The Proteas have gone into the last two matches a bowler short. In the first match, when they did select an extra bowler, they still struggled to contain Australia in the last 10 overs. Kyle Abbott was brilliant in the T20I series and could be South Africa’s answer to this situation.
Quote of the day: ‘We all practice hard in the nets for such shots and that’s how we get better, that’s how it comes out in the game.’ – Steve Smith talking about his audacious stroke play at the death.
Compiled by Gareth Stevens
Photo: Backpagepix
