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12th over: South Africa 66-0 (de Kock 41, Bavuma 19) I wonder if South Africa are targeting the first ball of Cummins’ over? It was Bavuma getting away with one last time, on this occasion it’s de Kock throwing the kitchen sink at one – but he gets a whole heap more than his skipper did, hooking a six over fine-leg! After winning the toss and putting the Proteas in this is not what Australia would have hoped for.
11th over: South Africa 59-0 (de Kock 34, Bavuma 19) After that one tight over, South Africa resume knocking Maxwell around for easy singles. The spinner does beat Bavuma’s bat on one occasion but the ball ricochets in and out of Inglis’s gloves with worrying force. There was no edge or stumping opportunity, but still – very hard hands. Not unfamiliar to modern Yorkshire-born keepers.
10th over: South Africa 53-0 (de Kock 30, Bavuma 17) YES IT DOES! First delivery of the over, Bavuma tries to launch Cummins into the Himalayas off a length. The ball spirals off the top edge and down towards third. Surely it’s out. No! Zampa is deceived by the flight and eventually has to make do with stopping the boundary. That was a wild rush of blood to the head from the South African skipper but he got away with it. Cummins continues the pressure with a couple of dots and a streaky inside-edge as the pressure builds. But de Kock releases it with one free swing of the bat, clubbing four through midwicket. Superb counterpunch to keep South Africa in the ascendancy early on.
9th over: South Africa 46-0 (de Kock 25, Bavuma 15) Maxwell finds his line and length in his second over, rattling through his work and conceding just the one single Jadeja-style. Let’s see if that skerrick of pressure forces an error.
8th over: South Africa 45-0 (de Kock 25, Bavuma 14) Double change for Australia with Cummins bringing himself into the attack. Bavuma moves to nine from 20 deliveries with a dab down to third, then 13 from 22 with his first forceful shot of the day, whipping his opposing skipper off his toes and through midwicket for an assertive boundary.
This has been very good so far from the Proteas. Few scares, controlled aggression, superb running and strike rotation. Australia are already searching for something to happen.
7th over: South Africa 38-0 (de Kock 24, Bavuma 8) Glenn Maxwell into the attack early to see if the surface takes some spin. The early signs are that the Lucknow pitch is receptive but the Australian allrounder struggles to find a consistent line and length, allowing South Africa’s openers to work him around for easy singles.
From what we’ve seen so far, South Africa’s decision to go in with two frontline spinners looks vindicated. Nothing flash on offer for the pacemen, a hint of turn for Maxwell.
South Africa’s top order have the lowest percentage of false shots (8%) of any team in #CWC2023
Australia’s top order played a false shot to 15% of the deliveries they faced in their opening match
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) October 12, 2023 6th over: South Africa 32-0 (de Kock 22, Bavuma 5) De Kock finds the boundary again – this time only for four runs – with a sweetly timed square drive that’s drilled into the square, bouncing up and over point and away for runs. Four more soon afterwards as South Africa get motoring, but this one is all byes with the second attempted bouncer of the match by Hazlewood taking a trampoline bounce and looping miles over Inglis. Safe to say this relaid surface lacks consistency. Cummins tweaks his field, pushing Maxwell out to cover sweeper and bringing third up. What does de Kock do? That’s right, a gorgeous late cut to run the ball down to the recently vacated fielding position for the third boundary of the over.
5th over: South Africa 19-0 (de Kock 14, Bavuma 5) Starc continues to bowl full, targeting the stumps and pads, but he errs on the legside to both batters. He goes unpunished until de Kock flicks the ball on the half-volley near his front angle, levering it up and over the square-leg fence. The aesthetics of that were very pleasing, from Starc’s elastic left arm delivery flowing into de Kock’s left-handed swoosh in one continuous motion. Having navigated those early overs, South Africa are away.
4th over: South Africa 11-0 (de Kock 7, Bavuma 4) Hazlewood has settled into his trademark line and length and South Africa are not interested in hitting him off it. De Kock does aim a waft at a very short, very high bouncer though, catching a glove that clears Inglis and away for four.
As per Adam’s tweet below, beneath his short sleeved yellow jersey Starc is wearing green compression sleeves. It’s an odd look.
Starc’s green skins reminiscent of the black t-shirt Warney wore under his gold playing shirt for the first game of the 1999 WC v Scotland (because it was cold, fair enough) and the ICC gave him a telling-off. #CWC2023
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) October 12, 2023 3rd over: South Africa 7-0 (de Kock 3, Bavuma 4) Oi oi! Starc was tidy but unthreatening in his opening over, but he begins his second with an absolute jaffa, angling in, swinging late – away from de Kock – beating the outside edge of the bat and the top of off stump by millimetres. After a strike rotation Starc drops in the slider across Bavuma, who was set for the in-swinger. Superb bowling. Is that the set up for the big hooping yorker? IT IS! Bavuma edges it… but it’s so low on the bat it bounces before it reaches the tumbling Inglis. Wonderful bowling from Mitchell Starc.
2nd over: South Africa 6-0 (de Kock 2, Bavuma 4) Hazlewood, the No 1 ranked bowler in ODIs shares the new ball for Australia. Bavuma remains busy, clipping two to square leg, defending with intent and leaving with conviction. Not sure we’ve learnt anything significant about the pitch yet.
I forgot to tell you that the umpires today are Joel Wilson and Richard Illingworth.
Josh Hazlewood with his best foot forward. Photograph: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images1st over: South Africa 4-0 (de Kock 2, Bavuma 2) Starc, coming over the wicket to both batters, is very full, attempting to maximise any swing on offer. There’s a touch, but de Kock uses it to angle a run to the offside, Bavuma to leg. Both openers then work singles forward of square, demonstrating an air of busyness and good match awareness. No fireworks early.
“A lot of hype behind the lanky lad but he’s not done much of note in 2023 apart from take some blinders in the gully,” emails Ben Bernards on the topic of Cameron Green being dropped. “Out of form with the bat and his bowling is cannon fodder on these decks.”
Australia, lids to studs in egg yolk yellow (including some beautiful wide brim floppy hats), take the field.
South Africa’s openers, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, join them out in the middle. They ate dressed all in forest green.
The umpires are wearing magenta tops and black slacks.
The main protagonists are set. The crowd is non-existent. Let’s cricket!
Anthem time. Nkosi sikelel’ Afrika is one of the best.
“Hi Jonathan.” Hi Peter Salmon! It’s been too long. “I note Josh Inglis is a Yorkshireman. Bodes well.” Indeed Pete. Here’s his pre-Ashes pen pic.
Josh InglisAge 28 Caps 0 Wicketkeeper/right-hand bat
Born in Leeds before changing hemispheres, Inglis still retains something of the accent of his opposition, but has the unmistakable attitude of Perth. A star for Western Australia, he is the utility in this Ashes squad, as the reserve wicketkeeper who could also fill any vacant spot in the batting.
Mitchell Starc has just had a few words with the host broadcaster. I like him a lot, and I’m sure he said something relevant but I really couldn’t concentrate after he repeatedly used the phrases “execution piece” and “adaption piece” early in the, um, piece. What are execution and adaption pieces?
I think going forward I might have to drill down and leverage some of the competencies vis-a-vis Australia’s pregame messaging.
Adam sees the upside in Inglis.
Big call dropping a senior player but Carey is badly out of sorts – that’s the way it goes. And with Inglis, most successful WC teams have a player who comes in from outside the XI at the start and plays a major role. #CWC2023
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) October 12, 2023 Geoff’s unconvinced about Alex Carey’s axing.
Carey dropped for Inglis as keeper against South Africa. Made 99 against the same team five hits ago, and has played once at this World Cup. #CWC23
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) October 12, 2023 South Africa XIJust the one change for South Africa and it’s the spinner Shamsi coming in for the pace of Coetzee. Time will tell if the surface warrants the inclusion of the left-arm wrist spinner but it makes sense by virtue of the opposition alone. Shamsi enjoyed his series against Australia before the world cup, and we saw how uncomfortable the Aussies are with left-arm spin the other day.
South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Tabraiz Shamsi, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi
Tabraiz Shamsi will bowl spin for South Africa against Australia. Photograph: Phill Magakoe/AFP/Getty ImagesAustralia XIAn unexpectedly decisive couple of selections from Australia with Marcus Stoinis replacing Cameron Green in the allrounder role, and in a major move Josh Inglis has taken the gloves from the out-of-sorts Alex Carey. So early in a tournament that suggests Carey’s demotion has been a long time coming.
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Josh Inglis (wk), 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Josh Inglis will keep wicket for Australia in Lucknow. Photograph: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC/Getty ImagesAustralia win the toss and will field first“Not too sure what to make of the wicket,” explains Pat Cummins. Hence why he was quick to send the Proteas in and find out what it’s going to do.
Australia win the toss in Lucknow. Photograph: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC/Getty ImagesAustralia have had to travel from Chennai on the south east coast up to the northern city of Lucknow. Despite the airtime, conditions remain similar: stiflingly hot and humid. For South Africa it’s been a comparatively short hop from Delhi.
It’s anyone’s guess how the pitch is going to play because the old square was relaid and the head groundsman sacked after this year’s IPL. Prior to that runs were hard to come by.
Matthew Hayden has filed a pitch report and he’s identified a decent covering of grass as well as noting that the hessian covering was not removed until close to the toss, so there should still be moisture under the top. Consensus appears to be bowl first upon winning the toss.
There’s also going to be a notably shorter square boundary, and one very long straight boundary to consider out in the middle.
The Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium can accommodate around 50,000 spectators.
The Lucknow pitch has not been used before in an ODI. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/ReutersSouth Africa meanwhile are on the up. They’ve won their last four matches in a row (including three against Australia) – a record that extends to nine wins from 13 ODIs this calendar year. Four South African batters average well over 50 in the format in 2023 (Bavuma, Markram, Miller, Klaasen) and the Proteas have five bowlers averaging under 30 after taking at least ten wickets (Magala, Maharaj, Shamsi, Rabada, Coetzee). Marco Jansen doesn’t appear on either list but he does average 37 with the bat at a strike-rate of 121, and his team-best 18 wickets have come at a respectable 35.
As Ali Martin reports, this is a different South Africa under the leadership of Temba Bavuma, one that could finally end the country’s long trophy drought.
Neil Manthorp, who has charted the pulse of South African cricket like few others over the years, detects a strong bond having developed under the stoic Bavuma in response to years of players being mucked around by a dysfunctional board. Test cricket has, rather heartbreakingly, been pushed to the margins, but the advent of the SA20 and its bumper contracts has also provided the kind of wider financial security that was hitherto the preserve of the big guns.
Geoff Lemon has more on Australia’s defeat to India and how the make-up of the squad is far from ideal for some of the playing conditions they will face this world cup.
That squad of 15 must be picked for the whole tournament, not the opening fixture. That first match may be against a team with a top-tier spin attack in conditions to suit. The next eight meetings of the group stage, less so. No other team can create quite that disparity. More common will be higher scores on flatter pitches ringed by small boundaries, where fast-bowling prowess may be Australia’s own point of advantage.
At least that is the theory. Australia’s next two fixtures are at Lucknow, where the head groundsman was recently sacked by the Indian board because his surface had too much turn. South Africa have two fine practitioners of the slow arts in Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, left-armers of orthodox and unorthodox persuasions. Sri Lanka have the perplexing variations of Maheesh Theekshana and another left-armer in Dunith Wellalage. Australia’s batting has to find a way, and the long game has a week to prove its worth.
Nobody has anything better to do at any point of any day than listen to the KLF. And that includes right now.
The KLF did go on to build a fire, and chucked a million quid on it.Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live OBO coverage of match 10 of the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Australia v South Africa will get under way in Lucknow at 2pm local time (7.30pm AEDT/9.30am BST).
It might only be Australia’s second outing this World Cup, but it is a surprisingly loaded one following their comprehensive defeat to India on Sunday.
It is a long old group phase, but Pat Cummins’ men won’t enjoy the prospect of coming back from an 0-2 start.
There’s also the problem of the makeup of the Australian XI. India prevailed in Chennai thanks in no small part to their three frontline spinners; Australia have only brought one equivalent on tour. Their success now seems almost entirely reliant on finding surfaces that allow them to maximise their world-leading pace attack. Cummins has said he is expecting exactly that in Lucknow, on a track that was relaid earlier this year.
Not that South Africa will overly mind if conditions are lively. Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi and Gerald Coetzee offer a formidable array of weaponry of their own. All took wickets against Sri Lanka, and only Ngidi failed to take at least two.
But the key takeaway from the Proteas’ opening victory was the record breaking batting. Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, and Aidan Markram all smashed tons, the latter belting the fastest century in World Cup history. Markram also hit a ton against Australia a few weeks ago, during an ODI series South Africa won 3-2. There were also centuries that tour for Temba Bavuma and Heinrich Klassen, indicating there’s no shortage of runs at the top of the order.
That should do for now, so settle in while I steer you through the pregame and first innings, after which James Wallace will see you through to the end of play.
If you’d like to get in touch while I’m on, please fire all communication to [email protected].
Australia were well beaten by India in their opening match and must rebound against South Africa. Photograph: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC/Getty Images