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Ballr Tri-Nation ODI series …Clash of the heavyweights today at Providence as Australia collide with South Africa
By Sean Devers
It will be a Mohammed Ali, Joe Frazer-like battle today at Providence in the final Day/Night
David Warner is in great form.
game in the Guyana leg of the Ballr Tri-Nation ODI series when heavyweights Australia and South Africa go head to head in what is anticipated to be an epic battle between two of the three top teams in world cricket.
Led by an unbeaten 81 by Kepler Wessles, South Africa beat Australia by nine wickets in 1992 World Cup at Sydney in the first ODI between the two sides and since then have faced each other 88 times. South Africa have won 46 and lost 39 of the ODIs with the other three ending in ties.
Today is the first time these teams will face each other since Australia won the 5th ODI by two wickets in Sydney in 2014 and the first time ever in Guyana and a pulsating contest is expected on a day which morning showers are forecast.
A small area of the ground which was damaged by the Football last month delayed the start of Sunday’s game but once there is no rain during ‘match hours’ play is expected in a game scheduled to culminate under lights.
Australia, the number one ranked ODI team and five time World Cup Champions will be on a high today after beating the West Indies in a one-sided game on Sunday to move to five points, one more than West Indies, who registered an upset win against South Africa on Friday. The Aussies will start as favorites today.
Imran Tahir could be Australia’s biggest treat today.
But South Africa, yet to register a point in the series which concludes in Barbados on June 26, will be keen to bounce back.
The pitches in South Africa produces frightening bounce but apart from Rilee Rossouw who scored 61 on Friday, the South Africans struggled to adapt the slow and low nature of the Providence track where it’s difficult to ‘play through the line’ and hit boundaries. A lot will depend on AB deVilliers, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Rossouw and Faf du Plessis today.
Left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso and leg-spinner Imran Tahir should again enjoy conditions here, while South Africa could toy with the idea of giving left-arm back-of-the-hand spinner Tabraiz Shamsi his ODI debut after seeing how Sunil Narine troubled the Australians on Sunday when he spun the ball.
Without Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, the pace attack will be led by Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris.
Australia were clinical in every department of their game especially the aggressive running between the wickets and totally outplayed a woeful Windies on Sunday. However, the team from ‘down under’ will be aware that despite South Africa’s first-match stutter they will provide much tougher opposition than the hosts.
David Warner continued from where he left off in the IPL and his unbeaten 55 against Narine and company was top-class especially since the surface was not conducive for shot making.
Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja got starts while Skipper Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell, who were removed by Narine in consecutive balls on Sunday, would be keen to demonstrate their class to the Guyanese fans seeing them for the first time.
Mitchell Starc bowled splendidly on Sunday with the new ball after a six month lay-off but Narine is the leading wicket taker with 8 scalps from two matches and next three on the wicket taking list are all spinners.
Adam Zampa could play major role for Australia today.
Both teams have three spinners in their squads and once again it should be the slow men who should dominate today.
South Africa: AB de Villiers (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi
Australia: Steven Smith (capt), David Warner, George Bailey, Scott Boland, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade (wk), Adam Zampa.
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