It was a disappointing result for Australia who crashed to a disappointing 84 run defeat to South Africa in Mackay. This season was marked by their continued woes in 50 over formats. This defeat gave South Africa an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, continuing Australia’s recent troubles in the format.
In the semifinal game played on [insert date], Australia failed to chase down South Africa’s score of 278 runs. It was the colorful Australian batting order that crumbled, scoring just 194 before the last wicket fell in the 38th over. Australia’s seventh defeat in their last eight ODIs. Ever since last November, the team has been able to wrangle only one win.
Josh Inglis stood out as the only Australian batter to pass the 35-run mark, scoring 87 runs off 74 balls. His contribution was masked by the loss of early wickets that decimated Australia’s innings. Travis Head came in and immediately went out again, out in the third over. Marnus Labuschagne was the next to go, with just one run in the fourth over. Labuschagne’s spot at three has been challenged after another disappointing performance.
The Australian batting collapse was marked by a troubling statistic: they lost four wickets for just nine runs during a critical phase in their innings. Cameron Green hit a comparatively meager 35 off 54 deliveries. He was unable to provide the kind of stability needed to mount a long-term successful pursuit.
South Africa took advantage of their blistering start and posted a daunting target. The remaining bowlers all struggled with their consistency. To his eternal credit, Labuschagne took three lower-order wickets late in Australia’s first innings, but it was too little, too late. Lungi Ngidi was vital for South Africa, taking the wicket of Inglis by catching him behind from his own shot.
Australia’s loss to South Africa was just the latest in a string of losses for the Australian side. They have already suffered defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka. As the team continues to deal with form issues and players underperforming, including Labuschagne hitting an especially concerning rut recently, the future does not look easy.
