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Australia’s World Cup campaign was thrown into disarray when they were thrashed by South Africa, their second successive defeat leaving next to bottom of the group table ahead of only Afghanistan.
To qualify for the semi-finals, Australia are now likely to need to win six of their seven remaining matches, including the ‘Ahmedabad Ashes’ on Nov 4 when England could knock their fierce rivals out of the competition.
After losing their opening game to tournament favourites India by six wickets, this latest mauling was even more comprehensive. South Africa’s imposing batting line-up scored 311 for seven in Lucknow, before Australia succumbed to just 177 all out, heaping further pressure on captain Pat Cummins.
Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Afghanistan are the only other sides to have lost both their opening games and to add to Australia’s woes, their net run rate is in a perilous state, which makes the challenge of remaining in the competition even more daunting.
Australia’s next fixture is against Sri Lanka at Lucknow on Monday, before they take on Pakistan, Netherlands and New Zealand in the build-up to the England showdown.
Australia are the most successful team in the history of the World Cup, winning five times in 12 tournaments; no other nation has won more than twice. They have also twice been losing finalists.
Batting collapses have been a hallmark of both Australia’s defeats so far. None of Australia’s batsmen has yet reached a half-century. But while Australia’s demise against India in Chennai owed to their fallibility against spin, against South Africa they were undone by pace.
Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada, the Proteas’ outstanding new-ball trio, reduced Australia to 56 for four in the 12th over. The most spectacular wicket was Rabada clean bowling Josh Inglis with a delivery that seamed away to crash into the top of off stump.
Australia’s next wicket was highly controversial. Marcus Stoinis was judged not out by the on-field umpire after a ball from Rabada appeared to hit the batsman’s glove. Replays seemed to suggest that the glove was no longer attached to Stoinis’s bat handle – meaning that, according to the laws of the game, he should have been given not out. But third umpire Richard Kettleborough gave him out, explaining that in his judgment the bottom hand was touching the top one. Yet further replays suggested that Stoinis’s hands were not in fact touching each other.
In an apparent sign of their uncertainty over their best XI, Australia made two changes for the match, dropping wicketkeeper Alex Carey – who has struggled in all formats since his controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow in the Lord’s Ashes Test – and all-rounder Cameron Green. But Inglis, Carey’s replacement, made just five. Stoinis, a like-for-like replacement for Green, bowled two overs before making five runs.
Australia’s best bowler was off-spinner Glenn Maxwell, who returned two for 34. Yet even this performance increased questions about why Australia only selected one specialist spinner, Adam Zampa, in their final 15-man squad. Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar was in Australia’s original squad but was replaced by batsman Marnus Labuschagne.
Pace bowler Cummins returned figures of one for 71 from nine overs, and has combined figures of one for 104 from 15.1 overs this competition, leading some to suggest that – despite his brilliant Test record – he is no longer worth a place in Australia’s best one-day international XI.
South Africa vs Australia: as it happened
05:30 PM BST
Temba Bavuma on victory
Three hundred and eleven was a couple over par. I was glad to lose to the toss because things worked out in our favour.
I’d be really greedy if I said there were areas to improve, a near-perfect game with the bat, and with the ball, looking at all the phases, the guys dominated and showed their skills.
I’ve got to acknowledge the batting effort and we were clinical with the new ball, then KG following up with intensity, then the spinners.
Character is the biggest thing we talk about, and we showed it today.
Let’s enjoy the individual performances, then come back tomorrow and find ways to get better and better as a team.
05:26 PM BST
Pat Cummins on defeat
Quinny batted really well, from where they were we were happy with 310.
Yes, it was chaseable. It looked like hard work out there at night, zipping around, but we were well off the mark.
If we want to be challenging for this tournament you’ve got to adapt to all conditions.
Not much needs to be said tonight, everyone is hurting. We’ve got a few days until the next one here, so we’ll try to make amends. A few things to tidy up.
05:18 PM BST
Australia fall to ninth place … below the Dutch
05:07 PM BST
SA win by 134 runs
That was a proper shoe-ing by South Africa. Fantastic bowling from Jansen and Ngidi with swing and Rabada with nibble to blow the top order away. Australia dropped five good chances and one difficult one and Quinton de Kock’s second successive century in his final weeks as an international cricketer helped South Africa to an insuperable total. It deservedly earned him the man of the match award.
05:04 PM BST
Wicket!!
Hazlewood c Rabada b Shamsi 2 Big swing across the line and he sends it straight up the chimney. Rabada walks round from mid-on to win the game. FOW 177 all out
05:03 PM BST
Wicket!
Cummins c Miler b Shamsi 22 Lures him to his doom with the wrong un which turns away from the right-hander and consequently comes off the outside third of the bat rather than the middle and shovelled it to long-off. FOW 175/9
05:01 PM BST
OVER 40: AUS 174/8 (Cummins 22 Zampa 10)
Ripper from Rabada, angling in to Zampa, pitching and jagging away. Too good for thee. Zampa then drills two down to mid on and a single off a thick inside edge.
04:57 PM BST
OVER 39: AUS 169/8 (Cummins 21 Zampa 6)
Just the single off Shamsi’s over and he must be desperate to prove his value with a World Cup wicket. He rags one back in to Cummins, fizzing past the inside edge as the captain had a poke at it.
04:53 PM BST
OVER 38: AUS 168/8 (Cummins 21 Zampa 5)
Cummins with commendable pluck and skill thumps Rabada over mid-off for four then hammers a square cut in front of square for two. He’s trying to show his charges that there is another way, that boldness has to be their approach.
Imagine the post-match scenes in the dressing room, channelling Imran.
‘Fight like cornered wombats, boys.’
04:50 PM BST
OVER 37: AUS 162/8 (Cummins 16 Zampa 5)
Shamsi resumes and makes a gift of a drag down to Zampa who swivels and nails the pull for four behind square. Two more pulls follow as the wrist-spinner struggles to find his length with a moist ball but they are taken only for singles.
04:45 PM BST
OVER 36: AUS 156/8 (Cummins 15 Zampa 0)
Cummins is going to go down swinging, withdrawing his front foot into the legside to flog a length ball on middle and leg over midwicket for four. Three balls later he does it again, the ball after he pulled Jansen for another four.
He scoots across his stumps, trying to flick the full inswinger fine but doesn’t connect. No matter, it was called wide. But Cummins cannot farm the strike off the extra ball, point doing his job to keep the captain down the other end for the new over.
04:40 PM BST
OVER 35: AUS 143/8 (Cummins 1 Zampa 0)
Samuel Badree on commentary duty goes harder than any of his colleagues who have been insistent that ‘no World Cup is lost or won after two games’ and offered the solace of their poor start in 1999 to try to cheer up the Lucky Country. Badree, though, says their performance in games one and two have been ‘feeble’.
04:36 PM BST
Wicket!
Labuschagne c Bavuma b Maharaj 46 Chips it on the charge to cover, done by the flight. Emu cooked. FOW 143/8
04:36 PM BST
OVER 34: AUS 142/7 (Labuschagne 46 Cummins 1)
Cummins gets off the mark first ball by popping a bouncer off his body round the corner for a single and Labuschagne chisels out a full ball from middle and leg down to third man for two. Well run.
04:31 PM BST
Wicket!
Starc c De Kock b Jansen 27 Just as Matthew Hayden and Aaron Finch were fantasising about an Australian winning counter-offensive, Jansen gets one to ramp on Starc and he fends it through to the keeper off the glove. Good, leaping catch from De Kock. FOW 139/6
04:30 PM BST
OVER 33: AUS 138/6 (Starc 27 Labuschagne 43)
De Kock reminds the fielders to maintain their standards after a misfield and top-edge from Labuschagne’s sweep falls just short of backward square. They run two but there’s only a single for that misfield at cover and a wide to accompany it.
04:28 PM BST
OVER 32: AUS 134/6 (Starc 27 Labuschagne 40)
Starc beams after duck-hooking Jansen for four whilst turning turtle and staring at the floor. The left-hander rides the bounce to drop the ball into the covers and hares a single. Labuschagne, starved of the strike, plays tip and run to farm it back.
04:21 PM BST
OVER 31: AUS 128/6 (Starc 22 Labuschagne 39)
Keshav Maharaj comes round the wicket and Starc sweeps for a single. Labuschagne cuts for another and Starc, after failing to pierce the infeld after a couple of solid clumps, tucks the last ball off his legs to take the strike.
Plenty of dew out there but South Africa have been imperious even with a wet ball.
04:16 PM BST
OVER 30: AUS 125/6 (Starc 20 Labuschagne 38)
Labuschagne gets weaving with a reverse sweep for four off Shamsi and then he steps back to cut the stock ball, which turns into him, in front of square for four. The reverse sweep provoked a change in the field which he then exploited. The second four brought up the fifty partnership, too.
Labuschagne works a single off his pads and Starc defends one then punches a drive off the back foot for a single. Ten off the over. It’s a start.
Time for drinks.
04:11 PM BST
OVER 29: AUS 115/6 (Starc 19 Labuschagne 29)
Three singles and a wide to add to the total off Ngidi’s eighth over. There must be some incentive to make a bigger score rather than simply batting out the overs.
04:08 PM BST
OVER 28: AUS 111/6 (Starc 18 Labuschagne 27)
Thanks, Tom. Bagchi here for the thrilling end of this, the car having been started 16 overs ago. Shamsi continues and Labuschagne continues to struggle. As we were discussing during the defeat by India, why on earth Australia have picked Smith and Labuschagne at No3 and No4 in 2023 is beyond me. Where’s D’Arcy Short, Ben McDermott? ? Why isn’t Green being stretched and pushed up the order?
They have played the two strongest sides but even so, their performances have been poor. They look tentative and confused with the bat and have fielded dreadfully.
Australia work three singles off the wrist-spinner.
04:00 PM BST
OVER 27: AUS 108/6 (Starc 17 Labuschagne 25)
Ngidi continues. Can South Africa break this stubborn, if very slow, Australia resistance? Starc is briefly stunned by a bouncer and turn away as Labuschagne looks to come through for a run. There’s a momentary confusion, with Labuschagne wondering if Starc is okay to take the run. Starc rallies and gets through but that looked like a heavy hit on the head. He’ll require a change of helmet.
03:52 PM BST
OVER 26: AUS 104/6 (Starc 16 Labuschagne 23)
Starc picks up four after a thickish outside edge off one that just skids through that bit quicker from Shamsi. He’s done pretty well has Starc in what are tough circumstances here.
This is a nice time for Shamsi to be bowling obviously but you’d have to see he’s executed accurately since coming on.
03:47 PM BST
OVER 25: AUS 95/6 (Starc 8 Labuschagne 22)
Ngidi returns to the attack. One for nine from five overs up front…decent. His consistency underlines how well South Africa have bowled here. If it isn’t wicket-taking deliveries, it’s pressure-building ones. Labuschagne again can’t get Ngidi away cleanly.
He picks up a couple with a square drive out to the point boundary.
03:42 PM BST
OVER 24: AUS 93/6 (Starc 8 Labuschagne 20)
Good running from Labuschagne, who gets back for a second after dabbing one out into the leg side. His frustration is palpable though as he mis-times a drive through the covers. Shamsi spots a charge from Labuschagne, pulling his length shorter and forcing the batter to just pad it away.
03:39 PM BST
OVER 23: AUS 90/6 (Starc 8 Labuschagne 17)
Reading conditions ahead of play is a tough game but can often have such a massive impact on results. Here, you’ve got to say Pat Cummins at Australia got their projections wrong. They’ve missed the best of the bowling conditions, toiling hard in the heat. Three from that latest Maharaj over.
03:36 PM BST
OVER 22: AUS 87/6 (Starc 7 Labuschagne 15)
Tabraiz Shamsi gets his first bowl in a World Cup. Left-arm leg-spin, this could get interesting. Or not if Australia are determined to bat the remaining 30 overs without attacking. Decent start from Shamsi, who’s giving it a chance with plenty of flight.
03:32 PM BST
OVER 21: AUS 84/6 (Starc 6 Labuschagne 13)
If this over is anything to go by we appear to be getting our answer to Australia’s strategy. Net run-rate this the answer apparently. Just four from the over. This could turn into a watching paint dry situation.
03:29 PM BST
OVER 20: AUS 80/6 (Starc 6 Labuschagne 10)
Rabada bowls his first bad ball for at least three overs and Starc cashes in, clipping through the vacant square-leg region for a boundary. He’s quickly back on the mark though, just getting enough movement away from Labuschagne to draw another play and miss before the same batter is caught off a free hit following a front-foot no-ball.
03:25 PM BST
OVER 19: AUS 73/6 (Starc 1 Labuschagne 9)
Maharaj continues. How will Australia play this now? Net run-rate salvage job or have a go and see what happens. Just two from that Maharaj over.
03:22 PM BST
OVER 18: AUS 71/6 (Starc 0 Labuschagne 8)
Australia will have their quarrels with that decision, and justifiably so, but make no mistake Rabada is unplayable here. This is the best spell of fast bowling we’ve seen at this World Cup so far. Mitchell Starc is the new man for Australia.
03:17 PM BST
WICKET!
Stoinis c De Kock b Labuschagne 5
Well that looks dodgy…the ball clips Stoinis’s glove on the way through but it doesn’t seem to be connected to his bat. The third umpire says his hand is connected to his bat-holding glove at point of impact. There’s a gap as far as I can see. Stoinis is fuming. FOW: 70/6
03:15 PM BST
Review…
Rabada is convinced he’s got Stoinis caught down the leg side…
03:14 PM BST
OVER 17: AUS 70/5 (Stoinis 5 Labuschagne 8)
Stoinis is off the mark with a boundary but it’s far from convincing. His drive is edgy and lacks control but does manage to evade the man at backward point. The over ends with Labuschagne looking helplessly at the pitch after playing and missing at one that rags almost square.
03:09 PM BST
WICKET!
Maxwell c & b Maharaj 3
Game over…if it wasn’t already. Maxwell is looking to turn one into the leg side but there’s just enough turn and bounce from Maharaj to draw a leading edge. It loops back towards the bowler who takes the simplest of catches. FOW: 65/5
03:08 PM BST
OVER 16: AUS 65/4 (Maxwell 3 Labuschagne 8)
Rabada is on the mark again, tucking up Labuschagne, who gets lucky as an inside edge runs away for a boundary. The carry Rabada is getting is remarkable on a pitch of this nature. Even off a length, Labuschagne is seeing leaves get up around his ribs. Just four from that Rabada over.
03:04 PM BST
OVER 15: AUS 61/4 (Maxwell 3 Labuschagne 4)
I think we’re at the point now where we can say that if Australia want to have any chance of winning this game Labuschagne must be there at the end, or at least very close to the end. Maxwell is looking to take on Maharaj, with Rabada looking virtually unplayable at the other end. He can’t get him away though, this is good stuff from South Africa’s left-arm off-spinner.
02:59 PM BST
OVER 14: AUS 60/4 (Maxwell 3 Labuschagne 3)
There’s just enough in this pitch under the lights to assist this excellent South Africa seam attack. Maxwell drives powerfully straight back at Rabada, who does well to get a foot on it. More dots, more pressure.
Bounce and carry from Rabada. Maxwell is feeling for it outside off stump but that’s simply too good. Rabada then goes slower and Maxwell is lucky not to hear the death rattle as the ball races down to fine leg off an inside edge.
02:55 PM BST
OVER 13: AUS 58/4 (Maxwell 1 Labuschagne 3)
Maxwell is off the mark, tucking one out to deep mid-wicket off Maharaj. Tough to know how Australia play this one now. The combination of wickets falling and a low run-rate creates something of a ‘damned if you do, damned if don’t’ scenario.
Tidy work from Maharaj. Just the one from it.
02:53 PM BST
OVER 12: AUS 57/4 (Maxwell 0 Labuschagne 3)
Maxwell enters the cauldron to much fanfare from the crowd. He’s a massive star in India due to his exploits in the IPL but now he has a massive job for his country. Excellent work continues from Rabada. Short, full, it doesn’t matter at the moment. It all looks threatening.
02:49 PM BST
WICKET!
Inglis b Rabada 5
Bowled him! Too good, too quick, too much. Rabada is ripping through Australia here. The ball is clatters past Inglis’s defences without doing a great deal to be honest and Australia are truly reeling now. FOW: 56/4
02:48 PM BST
OVER 11: AUS 53/3 (Inglis 5 Labuschagne 3)
Maharaj is on at a moment when South Africa are firmly on top. Inglis and Labuschagne have a massive job on their hands now. They must do the lion’s share of the work to get Australia back into this run chase.
Inglis gets off the mark with a nice chop behind square on the off side for a boundary.
02:47 PM BST
OVER 10: AUS 50/3 (Labuschagne 2 Inglis 0) chasing 312
Rabada replaces Jansen and Smith launches a counter-attack, walking across his stumps to flip a four down to fine leg then creaming a cover drive for another. But Rabada then nips one back into him. A little victory when it pins him. Smith and the bowler do not look concerned but De Kock is insistent and he is proved right. Remarkable. Australia are taking a pasting.
02:41 PM BST
Wicket!
Smith lbw b Rabada 19 That is amazing. It looked as if it was sliding down but it hit him in front of leg stump. Not umpire’s call but flush in the middle of leg stump. Smith’s flabber is absolutely gasted. He cannot believe it. FOW 50/3
02:40 PM BST
SA review
Smith lbw b Rabada Going down surely.
02:38 PM BST
OVER 9: AUS 42/2 (Smith 11 Labuschagne 2) chasing 312
Labuschagne works two off his legs to get off the mark and hares a leg bye after wearing one on the thighpad. Smith wears one in a more vulnerable place when the ball nips back and hits him flush in the box. The bouncer invites the pull and Smith obliges, cuffing it fine but his expectation of a boundary is thwarted by Jansen’s dive, saving two. At 6ft 7in, Jansen is a deceptively agile fielder.
Nigidi has started with 5-1-9-1. Incredible.
02:32 PM BST
OVER 8: AUS 36/2 (Smith 8 Labuschagne 0) chasing 312
Lovely from Steve Smith to get off the mark with a glorious on drive for four off Jansen. The right-hander leaves a couple and has a big swing at an inswinger that hoops down the legside, settling for the sundry and an extra ball when he doesn’t connect. He does get hold of the last ball, a floaty bouncer that sits up at midriff height. Smith swings his bat from eight o’clock to two on an upward trajectory to pull it hard over square leg for four.
02:29 PM BST
OVER 7: AUS 27/2 (Smith 0 Labuschagne 0) chasing 312
Ngidid is loving this gluey pitch and makes his off-cutter hold up so long that Warner has time to have two swishes at it, connecting with neither. Remarkable. Gun fielding keeps Warner scoreless off five balls and he decides he has to try to break the stranglehold but is holed beneath the line by a ball that didn’t come on as quickly as he expected it would. Warner smashes his bat down into the grass in exasperation. Wicket maiden!
02:26 PM BST
Wicket!
Warner c Van der Dussen b Ngidi 13 Five dot balls do the trick and Warner, who was troubled by the stickiness of the surface, slapped a square cut straight to point. FOW 27/2
02:22 PM BST
OVER 6: AUS 27/1 (Warner 13 Smith 0) chasing 312
After nibbling one back into Warner and scudding the ball into his thigh, Jansen oversteps and sprays one onto the left-hander’s toes. Warner whisks it for four and then has a big swipe at the free hit, an attempted yorker, slicing it over third man for a single. The radar goes wonky again and he fires five wides down the legside but Jansen has the last laugh by diddling Marsh by holding the next ball back by scrambling the seam and ruining his timing.
02:20 PM BST
Wicket!
Marsh c Bavuma b Jansen 7 Tried to aim for cow corner, closed the face too early as the ball nipped away and took a leading edge, arcing high to mid-off. Bavuma took it right on the paint of the circle. FOW 27/1
02:15 PM BST
OVER 5: AUS 16/0 (Marsh 7 Warner 8) chasing 312
Warner pokes at a shortish ball and pats it to point for a single. Marsh feels the breeze of a nip-backer searing past his box as he is beaten on the inside edge and twice fails to beat midwicket with a flick and then a pull. Both opening bowlers are giving Marsh’s technique a grilling here. Fine start by South Africa.
02:11 PM BST
OVER 4: AUS 15/0 (Marsh 7 Warner 7) chasing 312
Marsh jammily Harrow drives for a single, misjudging the movement but Warner finds the middle of the bat to lace a square drive through cover point, sending it smoking to the boundary.
Jansen tests Marsh on the pull with a surprise short ball and he cloths it. The ball sails over the infield and 20ft short of the sweeper. Jansen enjoys another little victory next ball with one that pitches on off and, as Marsh plays for the inswing, keeps going, whistling past the edge.
02:06 PM BST
OVER 3: AUS 7/0 (Marsh 4 Warner 2) chasing 312
Shane Watson is in the commentary box and there is something Wattto-esque about the tall Marsh’s front leg and the bullseye on the knee-roll for a swinging white ball. The swing never lasts and if he can get through seven or eight overs he can be devastating.
Ngidi delivers a maiden to Warner, leaving one, ducking one and being beaten all ends up by one that almost saws him in half as it veered back in from back of a length.
02:03 PM BST
OVER 2: AUS 7/0 (Marsh 4 Warner 2) chasing 312
Jansen, the left-arm quick, swings one on to Marsh’s thighpad and he feathers his attempted leg-glance and runs two. I say ‘feathered’ but it looked like leg-byes to me but he is credited with them. Jansen swings another in, starting too straight, and Marsh jabs down on it and sends it down to fine leg for a single off the inside edge.
The tall left-armer moves one dramatically away from Warner and follows it with a big inswinger to the left-hander that hits the thighpad and dribbles away for a leg-bye. Jansen pins Marsh with the final delivery, another inswinger. Big inside edge.
Good start by the South Africans. They may have given up on Test cricket but they still produce bundles of franchise talent who come together every couple of years or so to lead the charge.
01:57 PM BST
OVER 1: AUS 3/0 (Marsh 1 Warner 2) chasing 312
Lungi Ngidi has the first new ball. QdK has recovered from cramp and takes the gloves. Two slips up. Marsh drops the ball into the infield and takes a single off the first ball, forcing Ngidi to come round the wicket to his IPL team-mate Warner. The left-hander tucks two fine off his hip but is pinned by a big inswinger from round the wicket. It did to much, positively hooping in to Warner. He is looking to move it away late, following the Broad template.
Who gets the other new ball? Jansen for swing rather than the fiery pace of Rabada.
01:51 PM BST
Out come the openers
Warner and Marsh stride purposefully to the crease.
01:36 PM BST
Proper death bowling
From Mitchell Starc:
01:28 PM BST
Good afternoon
ODIs at Lucknow are a very small sample size but South Africa’s 311 is comfortably the highest score in nine innings there. And South Africa beat an irregular India side there last year, defending 249.
01:24 PM BST
Innings break: SA 311/7
Par score? I think you’d have to say so despite South Africa being in position to probably push for 340 at one stage. It might have been a different story had Australia clung on to their catches. They dropped six in that innings. Take two of those and South Africa would have ended south of 300.
All set up for an exciting chase now though.
I’m going to be hading over to Rob Bagchi now for the start of Australia’s innings.
01:21 PM BST
OVER 50: SA 311/7
Starc gets one past the new man Maharaj first-up. One ball to go…another dot. Brilliant final over from Starc. Two wickets for just one run.
01:17 PM BST
WICKET!
Miller b Starc 17
A Starc special. Full, straight and unplayable. FOW: 311/7
01:14 PM BST
WICKET!
Jansen c Warner b Starc 26
This time Jansen’s luck runs out. His mis-hit spoons to David Warner, who takes the catch but can barely hide a look of disgust at the drop catches in the previous over. FOW: 310/6
01:13 PM BST
OVER 49: SA 310/5 (Jansen 26 Miller 17)
Poor from Maxwell at cover off the bowling of Cummins. That should have been a dot ball and was instead a two. Cummins will be even more unhappy seeing Starc drop a tough chance to remove Miller. He had to cover plenty of ground there but having got there he will feel he should have taken that.
Bad to worse for Cummins, as he sees Jansen nick a bouncer over Inglis’s head for four.
WOW! ANOTHER DROP! Jansen skies one and Stoinis is underneath it but shells the easiest of chances.
The next ball disappears into the stands for six off the bat of Miller. It’s all happening here in Lucknow.
01:08 PM BST
OVER 48: SA 296/5 (Jansen 21 Miller 8)
Jansen is struggling to get off strike here and that works perfectly for Australia as Miller is being kept to the non-striker’s end.
Hang on…Jansen gives himself room and thumps Starc over deep mid-wicket for six before getting one away fine, past two men inside the ring for four. 12 from two balls and South Africa are edging towards 300.
01:03 PM BST
OVER 47: SA 279/5 (Jansen 9 Miller 8)
Two wides from Hazlewood to start the 47th. Not what Cummins would have been looking for at this stage. Otherwise the over is very good, plenty of slower balls and well-directed bumpers to keep South Africa in check.
12:58 PM BST
OVER 46: SA 279/5 (Jansen 7 Miller 7)
Jansen loops a hook high into the dusk sky in Lucknow but he’s lucky, the ball dropping ten yards in front of the man charging in frm the fine leg boundary.
Brilliant from Cummins, who goes full to Jansen. His changes in pace and lenght are making this really difficult for two new batters.
Miller finds a much-needed boundary through cover, punching Cummins with a horizontal bat and plenty of bottom hand.
12:52 PM BST
OVER 45: SA 272/5 (Jansen 5 Miller 2)
Quick and hostile bumper from Hazlewood to the new man Marco Jansen, who’s looking anything but convincing. He wafts a one outside off stump and Miller brings him for a mid-over chat. You feel the next eight to 12 balls are going to be vital here.
Jansen gets off the mark with a streaky top edge that loops over Inglis’s head for four.
12:47 PM BST
WICKET!
Klaasen c Inglis b Hazlewood 29
Well now…
We said South Africa would be under pressure if Australia could get a couple of quick wickets and that’s what they’ve done. Klaasen gets a nick on an attempted pull and it’s a good catch from Inglis behind the stumps. FOW: 267/5
12:46 PM BST
OVER 44: SA 267/4 (Klaasen 29 Miller 2)
David Miller is the next man in and he’s off the mark straight away with a confident push out to deep cover. Can Australia keep this total under 310? The bowling will need to be bang-on from here on in but that is surely their target.
12:41 PM BST
WICKET!
Markram c Hazlewood b Cummins 56
Much-needed for Australia. Markram looks to give himself room as Cummins bangs in a slower-ball bouncer. There simply isn’t enough zip on the ball to generate the power required to get it past Hazlewood at backward point. Easy catch taken. FOW: 263/4
12:40 PM BST
OVER 43: SA 263/3 (Klaasen 27 Markram 56)
Brilliant effort from Abbott down at deep mid-on, who dives full length but can’t quite get to Markram’s mis-hit strike down the ground. The next two shots are far more convincing, a smothering drive through the covers for four before going inside out over cover for another boundary.
Markram gets to an excellent fifty.
12:36 PM BST
OVER 42: SA 249/3 (Klaasen 26 Markram 43)
Lovely slower ball from Starc which deceives Klaasen. His variations are going to be vital in these closing overs.
Klaasen twice gets lucky in successive balls, with mis-hits finding empty spaces in the field rather than prowling fielders before Starc goes for his virtually unplayable full, wide yorker.
12:31 PM BST
OVER 41: SA 243/3 (Klaasen 21 Markram 42)
Oooo Zampa is in the firing line.
He drops short the Klaasen, who’s frustrated that he fails he cash in fully on that delivery. Markram goes to the reverse sweep and whips it hard sqaure of the wicket past the man at backward square-leg for four.
Now it’s Klaasen’s turn as Zampa overpitches and is pumped back over his head for a boundary.
12:26 PM BST
OVER 40: SA 232/3 (Klaasen 16 Markram 36)
A little straight from Starc here in relief of Hazlewood but he has protection in the deep to keep the damage to singles alone. He’s soon punished though as he drops short, as well as straight, and Markram picks up six with a powerful pull over mid-wicket.
12:22 PM BST
OVER 39: SA 223/3 (Klaasen 15 Markram 28)
Maxwell has bowled brilliantly for Australia here. On a pitch with little-to-no turn, he has bowled with accuracy and consistency to batsmen who could not be in better form.
Not a single boundary from his ten overs. Final figures of 2-23.
12:20 PM BST
OVER 38: SA 219/3 (Klaasen 13 Markram 26)
The boundaries have dried up a touch here. It does look a tough pitch to get started on and that makes wickets even more important than they otherwise would be.
As I type that, Klaasen rocks back and smacks Hazlewood through point for four. Cracking shot but that’s easy pickings for batters at this level.
Then Klaasen goes leg side, thumping Hazlewood over mid-wicket for four after the big Australian quick drops one just a shade short.
Short again from Hazelwood and this time Markram picks it up over backward square leg. Poor bowling, especially as the man at fine leg had just been brought into the circle.
12:15 PM BST
OVER 37: SA 205/3 (Klaasen 4 Markram 21)
Maxwell lets out a roar of frustration as a mix-up in the field allows the batters to come back for a couple. He is quite rightly demanding the same sort of excellence in the field that he has produced with the ball.
12:12 PM BST
OVER 36: SA 200/3 (Klaasen 1 Markram 20)
The door is slightly ajar for Australia here. Another couple of wickets quickly and the pressure will be on South Africa owing, in part, to their steady run rate that is yet to get over six an over.
Hazlewood keeps it tight, bowling wicket to wicket. Just three from the over.
12:08 PM BST
OVER 35: SA 197/3 (Klaasen 0 Markram 18)
Heinrich Klaasen joins the fun at the end of another excellent over from Maxwell.
12:05 PM BST
WICKET!
De Kock b Maxwell 109
A brilliant innings ends. He looked to be tiring slightly there and that was a slightly tired reverse sweep. The ball ricochets off the top edge, then off De Kock and onto the stumps. FOW: 197/3
12:03 PM BST
OVER 34: SA 196/2 (De Kock 109 Markram 17)
Markram gets on top of the bounce and punches Cummins through cover for four. If there’s a shot to click an innings into gear then that’s it.
Two balls later, Markram produces a near-carbon copy. Punching hard again through the off side and finding another boundary between mid-off and extra cover.
11:58 AM BST
OVER 33: SA 185/2 (De Kock 108 Markram 7)
Markram has looked a little scratchy thus far but with De Kock setting the tempo at the other end he has the luxury of looking at a few before really pressing on.
11:53 AM BST
OVER 32: SA 181/2 (De Kock 107 Markram 5)
Interesting to see De Kock just before that review went in seemingly cursing himself. Was that a little dummy to get the Australians to burn a review? Can’t be sure of course but it just caught my eye.
11:48 AM BST
Umpire review…
Australia think they might have De Kock caught behind here…
Ultra-edge stays flat as the ball passes De Kock’s bat though and he survives. The appeal was muted in the first place from bowler and keeper so you have to wonder whether that was a prudent decision.
11:47 AM BST
OVER 31: SA 177/2 (De Kock 104 Markram 4)
Can De Kock kick on now. South Africa would like to see him still out there until at least the 40-over mark. Excellent running adds another two to the total.
De Kock looks completely in control here.
11:43 AM BST
OVER 30: SA 171/2 (De Kock 100 Markram 2)
Markram is DROPPED! What a chance for Cummins. Markram dollies a full toss right back at the Australian captain but he shells the easiest of chances.
Salt in the wound… De Kock rocks back and smacks Cummins over deep square-leg for six to bring up back-to-back World Cup hundreds. Remarkable stuff from the South Africa opener.
11:39 AM BST
OVER 29: SA 161/2 (De Kock 91 Markram 1)
Aiden Markram enters the fray. He’s ALSO coming into this on the back of a three-figure score.
11:35 AM BST
WICKET!
Van der Dussen c Abbott b Zampa 26
Got him! Zampa has his wicket. Van der Dussen attempts to take on the man at deep mid-on but doesn’t get enough of it. Easy catch; big wicket. FOW: 158/2
11:33 AM BST
OVER 28: SA 156/1 (De Kock 90 Van der Dussen 24)
Beautiful hands from Van der Dussen. It’s not even close to being overpitched from Starc but he still manages to guide it past cover for a boundary.
Starc is starting to throw in a couple of cutters here to mix up his pace. On a wicket that has shown propensity to be a little two-paced, that feels like a good strategy.
11:28 AM BST
OVER 27: SA 150/1 (De Kock 90 Van der Dussen 19)
Van der Dussen is yet to really open up but the way he is timing the ball, even if it’s just for singles out to the deep, looks a little ominous. Zampa could do with mixing up his pace a touch here in an attempt to throw these two off their rhythm.
A first boundary for Van der Dussen, who picks the googly and lifts Zamap over mid-wicket for four.
11:24 AM BST
OVER 26: SA 143/1 (De Kock 89 Van der Dussen 13)
Starc returns. He was very good upfront but how will he get with this older ball? No movement apparent, at least not to the extent that we saw earlier, but the pace is high.
De Kock keeps it orthodox this time, punching Starc through mid-on for four. Perfect balance and timing on show from De Kock there. He really does have all the tools.
11:20 AM BST
OVER 25: SA 136/1 (De Kock 84 Van der Dussen 11)
A little bit of turn for Zampa, which just squares up Van der Dussen a touch, but Australia need more from their leg-spinner here. Namely they need wickets. Maxwell is the man to hold up an end and build pressure. Zampa needs to cash in that pressure but South Africa look pretty comfortable against him at present.
11:16 AM BST
OVER 24: SA 131/1 (De Kock 82 Van der Dussen 8)
Great contest this now. South Africa looking to press on but you just feel Australia fancy their chances of getting another one before long. Solid work again from Maxwell; just five from the over.
11:14 AM BST
OVER 23: SA 127/1 (De Kock 81 Van der Dussen 4)
De Kock gets a bit of luck as his shanked pull shot lands short of Warner, who’s prowling at deep square leg. You get the sense that pressing the accelerator on this pitch may be a bit of a challenge. At this point normally you’d expect De Kock to be seeing it like a beach ball but even his scoring rate has failed to really kick on.
More luck for De Kock. He attempts an extraordinary ramp as it flies just over Marsh at fine leg. The next ball is far more convincing, hammered over the same man but this time much further into the stands.
Who was saying something about his scoring rate?
11:09 AM BST
OVER 22: SA 109/1 (De Kock 68 Van der Dussen 0)
Maxwell has been excellent with the ball and he continues that with a maiden in quicktime. Good comeback from Australia here.
11:07 AM BST
OVER 21: SA 109/1 (De Kock 68 Van der Dussen 0)
Attacking move from Cummins to bring Hazlewood back into the attack after that wicket. De Kock attempts to swing him away into the leg-side but mis-times it, sending the ball canoning into his own thigh. That looked a sore one.
Excellent over from Hazlewood. Just a single from it.
11:03 AM BST
OVER 20: SA 108/1 (De Kock 68 Van der Dussen 0)
Rassie van der Dussen arrives at the crease. He, like De Kock, is also fresh off a hundred in Dehli.
11:00 AM BST
WICKET!
Bavuma c Warner b Maxwell 35
That’s what they wanted! Bavuma goes for the big slog sweep but his timing fails him as he spoons one high. It’s a regulation take for Warner out on the boundary. FOW: 108/1
10:57 AM BST
OVER 19: SA 105/0 (De Kock 64 Bavuma 35)
Australia need wickets. If South Africa can get to 25 overs or beyond without loss that will set things up perfectly for their powerful middle-order to properly open up in the second half of the innings. The positive for Australia is that the scoring rate is not out of control…yet.
De Kock clips Zampa into deep mid-wicket twice in three balls as he continues to rotate the strike with ease.
10:53 AM BST
OVER 18: SA 100/0 (De Kock 61 Bavuma 33)
The atmosphere inside the cauldron-like Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium (sorry had to do it again) has lifted slightly and people have arrived in better numbers since we got underway. Perhaps there has to be a little dispensation for the weather in Lucknow. Sitting still in 35C heat for eight hours is not everyone’s idea of fun.
Just three from that Stoinis over.
10:49 AM BST
OVER 17: SA 97/0 (De Kock 59 Bavuma 32)
De Kock goes for the slog sweep off Zampa and although he doesn;t get all of it, the bottom edge is enough to get the ball to boundary. Next ball also disappears to the fence as De Kock reverse sweeps cleverly past the man inside the ring at third man.
10:43 AM BST
OVER 16: SA 88/0 (De Kock 50 Bavuma 32)
Stoinis’s first ball is dismissed over mid-on by Bavuma for four. The tempo has been upped here from South Africa as they try to move the run-rate up to six an over and beyond.
An incredible effort on the boundary from sub fielder Kyle Abbot as Bavuma launches one high again. He takes the catch on the deep square boundary and tries to offload the ball to the oncoming Starc as he tips over the rope. The throw is not lofted enough though and Starc cannot take the catch.
Moments later, De Kock Reaches his 50 with a quick single into the covers.
10:37 AM BST
OVER 15: SA 80/0 (De Kock 49 Bavuma 25)
South Africa have bedded in here but the scoring is far from rapid. Bavuma tries to open his arms but the shot is not there and the mis-hit is well gathered by Zampa.
On queue, De Kock plays a delightful lifted drive over mid-off for a boundary.
10:34 AM BST
OVER 14: SA 74/0 (De Kock 44 Bavuma 24)
Marsh is on. Cummins is regularly shuffling his deck here to keep his bowlers away from bowling long spells in this blistering heat. Pretty tepid from Marsh though and it’s easy for South Africa to rotate the strike at will.
10:31 AM BST
OVER 13: SA 68/0 (De Kock 42 Bavuma 20)
Zampa begins his spell and is right on the money to De Kock, beating the outside edge with one that just slides across the left-hander. Then a little leading edge and De Kock looks to turn one into the leg side.
DROPPED! Oh Josh Inglis has a chance there. Zampa gets one to turn just enough away from Bavuma, who gets an edge on it. The deviation is sizable but Inglis will feel he should have taken that.
Promising start from the leg-spinner.
10:25 AM BST
OVER 12: SA 66/0 (De Kock 41 Bavuma 19)
Brilliant from De Kock, who uses the pace and bounce of Cummins to pull one over fine leg for six. It’s an extraordinary shot. The setup is one of a regular pull shot before De Kock swivels late and sends it fine.
While De Kock is operating a run a ball, Australia do have Bavuma tied up a touch. He’s faced 32 balls for his 19 at present.
10:21 AM BST
OVER 11: SA 59/0 (De Kock 34 Bavuma 19)
Maxwell has been tight, if not entirely threatening thus far. The turn that was hinted at in his first over is now not so apparent. This pitch appears to be one where spinners will get more value for subtle changes in pace and some variable bounce, than real turn.
10:17 AM BST
OVER 10: SA 53/0 (De Kock 30 Bavuma 17)
Bavuma skies one high into the Lucknow sky off Cummins. Zampa is at third man but he doesn’t get a hand to it. He never looked comfortable under that one and missed it by a good metre despite not having a huge amount of ground to cover. A poor shot and a tough chance, but a takeable one.
The last ball of the over disappears over mid-wicket off the bat of De Kock for four and that’s the 50 up for South Africa.
10:11 AM BST
OVER 9: SA 46/0 (De Kock 25 Bavuma 15)
Smith scampers across the ground at mid-wicket but the ball evades him, enabling Bavuma to get through for a quick single. Tight over from Maxwell, just one from it.
10:09 AM BST
OVER 8: SA 45/0 (De Kock 25 Bavuma 14)
Cummins replaces Hazlewood. Australia will be starting to feel the pinch a touch here. The ball was moving in the opening few overs but that early swing appears to have dissipated now and this pair are starting to look comfortable.
Real attacking intent from Bavuma for the first time, latching onto one which is slightly overpitched from Cummins and picking up a boundary over mid-wicket.
10:03 AM BST
OVER 7: SA 38/0 (De Kock 24 Bavuma 8)
Glenn Maxwell is into the attack with his off spin and there does look to be a hint off turn for him early on. Cummins opts against getting a slip in early ito De Kock despite there being some tweak away from the left hander.
09:59 AM BST
OVER 6: SA 32/0 (De Kock 22 Bavuma 5)
Four more for De Kock as Hazlewood drags one short and offers just enough width for a delicate cut through point. More signs of variable bounce as Hazlewood gets one to fly over De Kock and over kepper Inglis for four byes.
Another boundary for De Kock to close the over, opening the face to steer one past short third man.
09:54 AM BST
OVER 5: SA 19/0 (De Kock 14 Bavuma 5 )
A mis-field from Maxwell in the covers just lessens the pressure on Bavuma in the face of Starc. There’s a half-hearted appeal from Inglis as he takes one down the leg side but that’s clearly clipped De Kock’s pads on the way through.
The next ball disappears over square leg for six as Starc strays too straight to De Kock. Excellent comeback from South Africa after Starc’s excellent second over.
09:50 AM BST
OVER 4: SA 11/0 (De Kock 7 Bavuma 4)
De Kock gets a glove on one as he goes after a Hazlewood bouncer. It goes flying over Inglis’s head for the first boundary of the innings. The ball prior appeared to die in the surface. A touch two-paced perhaps?
09:45 AM BST
OVER 3: SA 7/0 (De Kock 3 Bavuma 4)
What a delivery from Starc. Late, late swing away from De Kock and the batter has no chance. The Australian slip cordon have their hands on their heads in disbelief that has not resulted in an early wicket.
Starc gets the ball coming sharply back into Bavuma before sliding one across him with a scrambled seam. Bavuma goes searching and gets a feather edge on it but the ball dies, not carrying through to Inglis.
Real danger being posed by Starc here.
09:41 AM BST
OVER 2: SA 6/0 (De Kock 2 Bavuma 4)
No let up with this Australian attack as Josh Hazelwood runs in. He’s bang on the money as well, just back of a length to Bavuma in an effort to get him coming forward on the drive.
Bavuma clips, uppishly, off his pads into the vacant square-leg region and the gets back for a couple.
Good carry on for Hazelwood early on. That feels like a positive for a pitch that has come under a great deal of scrutiny.
09:36 AM BST
OVER 1: SA 4/0 (De Kock 2 Bavuma 2)
Just a hint of swing away from the left-hander for Starc but De Kock gets off the mark by guiding one down to third man for a single.
Starc looks to get one tailing back into Bavuma’s pads from over the wicket but the abtter is up to the mark early, working one into mid-wicket for a single of his own.
09:31 AM BST
Here we go..
Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma open things up for South Africa. Mitchell Starc takes the new ball.
09:25 AM BST
Here come the umpires..
Again it’s sad to see the number of empty seats here in Lucknow. This ground has the capacity for 50,000 fans. I’d estimate there’s a couple of thousand in…at a push.
09:18 AM BST
Strange stadium names
There are some odd ones out there. The Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium in Austria, Hunky Dorys Park in Ireland or even the KFC Yum! Center in Kentucky.
Lucknow may not have the strangest stadium name but it could well be the longest.
Welcome to the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
09:13 AM BST
Australia team
The big news from the Australia camp is the dropping of wicket-keeper Alex Carey, with Josh Inglis coming to take the gloves. Another change, which could come as a surprise to some, is the dropping of Cameron Green, with Marcus Stoinis coming in to fill that all-rounder role in the middle order.
David Warner,
Mitchell Marsh
Steven Smith
Marnus Labuschagne
Glenn Maxwell
Josh Inglis (wk)
Marcus Stoinis
Pat Cummins (capt)
Mitchell Starc
Adam Zampa
Josh Hazlewood
09:10 AM BST
South African team
One change from the side who beat Sri Lanka and it is what we expected. Tabraiz Shamsi is in for Gerald Coetzee as South Africa opt for a second spin option alongside Keshav Maharaj.
Quinton de Kock
Temba Bavuma
Rassie van der Dussen
Aiden Markram
Heinrich Klaasen
David Miller
Marco Jansen
Kagiso Rabada
Keshav Maharaj
Lungi Ngidi
Tabraiz Shamsi
09:03 AM BST
Australia win the toss and bowl
“Not too sure what to make of this wicket,” says Pat Cummins.
09:02 AM BST
Toss upcoming
Lord knows what the right move is here. Team selection should be very interesting though. If South Africa include left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, what is expected of this pitch should become clear.
08:46 AM BST
Get ready for another scorcher
Do not let the pleasant conditions in which England played Bangladesh in Dharamsala earlier this week fool you. Today, we are set for a return to heat, proper heat. It is expected to get up to 34C in Lucknow this afternoon.
08:41 AM BST
Brand new deck
It remains to be seen how this wicket will play in Lucknow. We are playing on a newly relaid wicket after the previous one came in for criticism in the IPL.
One thing is for sure. This pitch will not play like the one on which South Africa battered a World Cup-record score of 428 last week.
08:32 AM BST
Two titans clash
Good afternoon and welcome to Lucknow where two true heavyweights of international meet in what, once again for this World Cup, promises to be sweltering heat.
Ask anyone to make their list of the four teams that will eventually qualify for the semi-finals at this tournament and the chances are that South Africa and Australia will be towards the very top of those mentioned.
Both are bursting with top-level quality and boast a host of players well-conditioned to Indian conditions owing to regular participation in the IPL. However, how both will contend with what is a newly laid pitch in Lucknow is anyone’s guess.
South Africa produced arguably the performance of the opening round, hammering Sri Lanka by 102 runs in Delhi. Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram all reached hundreds, as South Africa posted a World Cup-record score of 428.
“We have learned to play with positive thinking,” Markram said after his blistering 106 off 54 balls. “We’re known to start pretty slowly, be it in a series or world events.
“But I think there’s a lot of passion in this team to give our absolute all at this World Cup and see how far it can get us.”
Meanwhile, Australia arrive here in need of a win having lost to India by six wickets in a somewhat strange game in Chennai.
In testing conditions, Australia only managed to post 199 in their innings, with some clever Indian bowling exposing some sloppy batting. More will be needed this afternoon.
“It’s a bit of an unknown here,” Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell said.
“It will be a fresh start for the whole ground, turn up on the day and see how it looks. We are prepared for whatever conditions come our way over the next few games.”
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