Australia limit South Africa to 189-9 in cricket series

Australia's Josh Hazlewood (C) celebrates catching out South Africa's Aaron Phangiso durin
AFP

Providence (Guyana) (AFP) – Australia’s pace and suffocating aggression limited South Africa to 189 for nine batting first in the third match of the Tri-Nation One-Day International series at the Guyana National Stadium on Tuesday.

Only Farhaan Behardien offered any substantial resistance, his workmanlike innings of 62 before he fell in the final over saving his side from complete capitulation after the top-order failed to deliver for the second consecutive match.

Despite another slow, low surface that challenged both bowlers and batsmen, it was the Australian fast bowling pair of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Josh Hazlewood who proved most effective with two wickets each in restricting the Proteas after their captain, A.B. de Villiers, surprisingly chose to bat first on winning the toss.

Coulter-Nile, who replaced Mitchell Starc from the opening victory over West Indies two days earlier, made the most of the opportunity with a spell of two for 38 off ten overs.

He claimed the vital wickets of de Villiers, bowled for 22, and then uprooted the off-stump of J.P. Duminy in his next over to reduce the South Africans to 104 for five midway through the innings, effectively killing off any realistic chance they had of posting a formidable total.

Hazlewood was even more economical in conceding 20 runs off ten metronomic overs. 

He earned an LBW verdict against Quinton de Kock to break the opening partnership with Hashim Amla and returned to get rid of Wayne Parnell, the all-rounder who was playing his first ODI for almost 16 months.

South Africa, without a point in the competition after losing the tournament-opener to the West Indies on Friday, entertained hopes of a challenging total when de Villiers and Amla were at the crease.

The two most experienced batsmen in the side put on 40 for the third wicket before Amla was run out for the third time in ODI’s against Australia.

Wickets continued to fall regularly thereafter and it was left to the lower-order players Aaron Phangiso and Kagiso Rabada to assist Behardien in lifting the South Africans closer to the 200-run mark.

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