Maharaj's masterful maiden ODI five-for hands South Africa 1-0 series lead
Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke also made important half-centuries as South Africa thumped Australia by 98 runs
Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke also made important half-centuries as South Africa thumped Australia by 98 runs
Scorer: M Venkat Raghav | Commentator: Andrew McGlashan
South Africa win by 98 runs and that's been an outstanding performance. Set up by the top order then Keshav Maharaj put on the starring role with five quick wickets after Australia had made a rapid start in the chase. It was a wonderful spell of left-arm spin. Raised some techical questions among Australia's top order. A word, too, for Prenelan Subrayen who was very steady on ODI debut and made the first breakthrough. Mitchell Marsh did his best to lead a revival but there was always too much to do. A few things for the home side to ponder as the series heads to Mackay.
Jack: "I agree with Stuart, Maharaj bowled an amazing spell there. Probably one of the best of his career. Changed the game completely. As a fellow left-arm finger spinner myself, I appreciate a great showing from our kind in cricket" Left-arm spinners unite.
No surprises that Keshav Maharaj is player of the match: "I made my debut in 2016 in Australia so it's a wonderful opportunity to get my first five-for. Just trying to utilize the conditions, the wicket was a little bit sticky with the newer ball so just tried to utilize that and got the reward."
Mitchell Marsh: "Keshav is an outstanding bowler and certainly a little more spin that we expected but at times you have to take your hat off to someone like him. And he won them the game."
Temba Bavuma: "A good all-round performance from the boys. Think we did a good job with the bat. The wicket was a bit slow, a bit two-paced, but we tried to adapt as much as we could. Think we put in a competitive score then the bowlers had seen how the wicket was and did their thing. I was expecting it to turn as much. We felt that it would start to be variable, maybe a bit on the low side, but Kesh again showed his class and was well supported by the other bowlers."
We'll wrap things up there for tonight. South Africa 1-0 up. All the details will be in Firdose's report here shortly. For now, from Gnasher and Alex, it's goodbye and see you on Friday.
A Zampa b Ngidi 11 (18m 18b 1x4 0x6) SR: 61.11
NT Ellis lbw b Ngidi 14 (37m 20b 1x4 1x6) SR: 70
Maharaj, who last held the spot in November 2023, returned to the top following his five-for in the first ODI against Australia
It was Zampa's first breach of the ICC's code of conduct in a 24-month period
The offspinner, who has faced scrutiny over his action in the past, will need to undergo independent assessment within 14 days
Maharaj produced his best ODI figures yet to help down Australia, showing he still has plenty to offer
Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke also made important half-centuries as South Africa thumped Australia by 98 runs