High-flying South Africa demolish Australia to further their credentials at the World Cup

South Africa have won both their World Cup matches in convincing fashion, which included dealing a heavy blow to Australia recently.

How often have you seen a cricket side secure a victory of over 100 runs against the mighty Australia? The number of teams who can claim to have achieved that feat is quite small. Smaller still is the number of teams who have decimated the five-time world champions by that margin on the stage of the Cricket World Cup. In fact, it has only happened thrice in history - against India and West Indies in the 1983 World Cup (with both sides competing in that year’s final).

And against South Africa at the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow last night.

Quinton de Kock slammed his second century in as many matches, Aiden Markram added a crucial 50, and the bowlers led by Kagiso Rabada ran riot against the Aussie batting order, leaving them clueless and perplexed.

Riding on De Kock’s 109, the Proteas put 311/7 on the scoreboard and in the end, it was more than enough. With the exception of Marnus Labuschagne and some lower order resistance, nobody in the Australian XI could get going. To be fair, technology was also kind to South Africa on a couple of occasions - in the case of the shoddy Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis dismissals - but make no mistake, the destruction was complete and convincing.

This is a different South Africa side to the one we’re used to watching.

Back in 2019, they had failed to kick on and get out of first gear. The Proteas were eliminated from the group stages after a harrowing campaign and it seemed that the ghosts of the 2015 World Cup would take long to exorcise. That semi-final defeat that provided the world with the heartbreaking image of an inconsolable AB De Villiers became the cause of much contention in the nation.

Quinton de Kock and David Miller remain the only two survivors from that ill-fated night in Australia.

That is probably the reason why the team is approaching things different this time.

While many teams have moved away from the prestige of 50-over cricket in favour of the quick fix and bang for bucks that T20 internationals provide, South Africa have looked liberated in this format. Over the last 18 months, they have scored runs at a rate of 6.54 per over - an anomaly in this format. Ahead of the World Cup, they notched up six 300-plus totals in 16 innings.

The World Cup opener against Sri Lanka made it seven in 17 innings and a second north of 400. Yes, the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch in Delhi has been a belter of a surface, but you also need a clear mind wreak the kind of havoc that the South African batters did in their first game.

A record three centuries, from Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram led to a gigantic total of 428 for five with Markram raiding the fastest ton in the tournament’s history from only 49 balls.

Captain Temba Bavuma’s batting might not exactly be eye-catching but it gets the job done. His partnership with De Kock up top is South Africa’s most successful opening pair by average and together, they have shared four century stands.

And for all the flurry that De Kock, Van der Dussen and Markram are capable of, South Africa also possess firepower in the lower middle order with options in the form of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller. Klaasen had scored a 83-ball 174 against Australia recently while Miller averages over 42 and strikes at over 103 in this format. Since the start of 2022, South African batters average 42 against spin in the middle overs at a-run-a-ball, the best by a distance.

The absence of Anrich Nortje is certainly a big blow to the pace department. However, South Africa have still got a varied attack of exciting bowlers led by the fantastic Kagiso Rabada. The delivery that knocked the bails off Josh Inglis’s stumps in Lucknow is a prime of example of his demonic best. At the other end of the spectrum are youngsters Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen who have the ability to surprise the opposition.

Of course, with the World Cup being played in the sub-continent’s mostly turning tracks, South Africa may be a little light in the spin department. Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are no flukes though and are capable of patrolling the middle orders and breaking up partnerships.

Captain Temba Bavuma agrees that only winning the World Cup will stop the criminally overused tag of ‘’choking’’ when it comes to South Africa, but given the bang with which they have begun the tournament, they might just go all the way!

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