ICC World Cup 2023: Eden and dusted!

Skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc celebrate Australia’s win over South Africa. Pics/Bipin Patel

Australia set up a Sunday showdown with India, but not before a belligerent South Africa had given them a scare at the Eden Gardens. The three-wicket victory took the five-time champions to their eighth ICC World Cup final with the Proteas missing out on a title-clash despite five appearances in the semi-finals. On Thursday, they shot themselves in the foot after winning a good toss.

David Miller rose from the ruins with a belligerent century as South Africa, pinned down by a disastrous start, began a fightback that spilled deep into the Australian innings. The southpaw, coming to the crease in the 12th over with the score a precarious 24-4, scored 101 off 116 with eight fours and five sixes to drag the Proteas to a fighting 212 on a wicket that would increasingly lend itself to spinners. Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram made the most of it, while Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee chipped in with fast and furious spells.

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2023 | Shami Storm

Markram castles Warner

David Warner and Travis Head were in a hurry, but Aiden Markram had one gripping to castle Warner, who had hit four sixes and a boundary by then. A brilliant catch by Rassie van der Dussen plucked out Mitch Marsh soon. Left-arm orthodox spinner Maharaj, held back till the 15th over, ended the growing threat from Head with his first ball, and when Shamsi removed Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession, the cat was among the pigeons.

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli's records

David Miller during his 101

The 76 more Australia needed suddenly looked a daunting task. When Steve Smith skied one for Quinton de Kock's big gloves, 39 was the requirement but it stayed a tense chase. The sigh of relief as Pat Cummins had hit the winning runs in the 48th over was palpable.

In the afternoon, South Africa's task quickly became all about crawling out of the hole they had dug. Opting to bat, the Proteas looked bereft of a gameplan to start with. Persisting with an out-of-form Temba Bavuma as partner for Quinton de Kock was fraught with danger, and it came home to them in the very first over as the skipper edged to the 'keeper. The more telling blow would come some five overs later as De Kock, the team's most prolific batsman at this World Cup, lost patience and skied one.

Rain interruption

The ball was doing things, the fielding was sharp and the need of the hour was to put the head down and weather the storm, but poise and purpose deserted the Proteas in those early overs. A 38-minute rain break after 14 overs, with the scoreboard reading a dismal 44 for four, was good time to gather the thoughts, and South Africa found their men in Miller and Heinrich Klaasen.

The two settled down before opening up for the most entertaining and fruitful period. The 95-run partnership was broken just as it was acquiring dangerous proportions when Klaasen played inside the line of one from Head, the part-time off-spinner deployed to offset Zampa's off day. He removed Marco Jansen next ball and the double strike pegged back the Proteas at a crucial juncture on their road to recovery.

Brief scores
South Africa 212 all out in 49.4 overs (D Miller 101, H Klaasen 47; M Starc 3-34, P Cummins 3-51, J Hazlewood 2-12, T Head 2-21) lost to Australia 215-7 in 47.2 overs (T Head 62, S Smith 30; T Shamsi 2-42, G Coetzee 2-47) by three wickets