Join 24/7 Cricket News For More Updates
The Preview by Daniel Brettig
October 22, 2011
Match facts
South Africa v Australia, October 23, Port Elizabeth
Start time 13:00 (11:00 GMT, 22:00 EDT, 21:30 CDT, 19:00 WST)
Big Picture
Rain did not help, but South Africa were caught very much on the hop by Australia in the first ODI at Centurion. After Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke stood up to some strong early bowling in a manner that allowed Duckworth-Lewis to work heavily in the tourists' favour, Doug Bollinger, Mitchell Johnson, Pat Cummins and Xavier Doherty had their way with the ball against some indifferent batting in greasy conditions.
Having had a six-month break from international cricket, South Africa will be better for the run and will not be making too many changes to the team. However they must win at St George's Park in order to stay in the series, being played over a tightly-squeezed three fixtures much as the Test series was chopped back to two matches by the financial weight of the Champions League Twenty20.
Australia, by contrast, will simply want to keep up the impressive momentum built first in Sri Lanka then added to in Pretoria. Clarke is marshalling a unit that gathers confidence with each match, so much so that the visitors did not seem too badly off without the injured duo of Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson in the first match. Their returns would only strengthen a team that has also been enthused by the rapid progress of the teenagers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Marsh.
Form guide
South Africa: LWWWL
Australia: LWLWW
In the spotlight
JP Duminy was commonly described as the next great international batsman after demonstrating enormous composure and neat technique in Australia in 2008-09. He has struggled to live up to that billing ever since, and so far in the T20s and first ODI has found himself dismissed each time by the rampant young Cummins, whose speed and bounce has twice found an outside edge to the slips. As a link between the hard-bitten top three of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, and the inexperience of David Miller and Faf du Plessis, Duminy must do more.
The sight of Mitchell Johnson swinging the new ball would have brought the odd curse from the South African dressing room at Centurion, as it suggests he can be as much a threat this time around as he was in 2009. Johnson likes to build his confidence with plenty of overs and wickets, which in turn may help to re-ignite a batting talent that has sat largely dormant in recent matches. The only possible criticism of Johnson in the first match was that he did not bowl enough deliveries of full length when he was swinging them, probing for the early bowled or lbw that he managed so often two and a half years ago.
Pitch and conditions
Port Elizabeth can have plenty of runs in it while also providing some incentives for bowlers. Breezy and mild weather is forecast and there is little prospect of the rain that so disrupted proceedings in Pretoria.
Team news
South Africa will again deliberate over the possible inclusion of the legspinner Imran Tahir. It is the only change the hosts may make after the selectors chose to release Robin Peterson and Wayne Parnell for domestic duties.
South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Hashim Amla (capt), 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Jean-Paul Duminy, 5 David Miller, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Johan Botha, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh are back in training after minor injuries but the tourists may elect to ease the duo in one at a time, with Steve Smith the man most likely to make way.
Australia (probable) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 David Warner, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Doug Bollinger.
Stats & Trivia
An Australian victory would hand the tourists a limited overs series victory in South Africa for the third time, but the first since 2002. The Proteas won series in 2006 and 2009.
The first ODI between these sides at St George's Park in 1994 saw a memorable cameo by Allan Border, who blazed 40 from 17 balls including three sixes on his final international tour. Australia's total was 281 for 6, considered an enormous tally at the time, and South Africa never got close.
Quotes
"It's the first time we've been together as a group, but it's still no excuse, we were a little bit rusty. We can improve in places both with bat and ball, where we perhaps let ourselves down a little bit."
Jacques Kallis expects his team-mates to lift.
"Obviously it's a big game, we know South Africa are a quality team and they'll be up for this game. Winning every game we play for Australia is important ... we want to make sure we're going in the right direction and every series we go into we want to win."
Brad Haddin wants to keep the momentum going.
Bookmark and Share This Post :
0 comments:
Post a Comment