… Ngidi’s career-best 6 for 58, Malan’s unbeaten 129

SOUTH Africa’s recent dominance over Australia in one-day cricket has continued with an undermanned Proteas side beating last year’s World Cup semi-finalists by six wickets in Bloemfontein to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match ODI series.

Australia’s 10th loss to South Africa in their past 11 one-day games and their sixth bilateral series defeat to the Proteas in eight attempts also mean they have won just one of their past seven one-day internationals against all nations.

Without star players Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen, South Africa’s less established players have delivered with the bat in this series, a maiden international century to second-gamer Janneman Malan here matching the feat of Heinrich Klaasen in the opening game of the series.

Lungi Ngidi had earlier led the charge after the Proteas lost the toss, finishing with figures of 6-58 in Australia’s total of 271.

Malan’s unbeaten 129 was an impressive response after his horror ODI debut in Paarl on Saturday, when he was dismissed for a first-ball duck and left the field late in the match with what appeared to be hamstring soreness.

In a tense finish in front of 10 000 fans who enjoyed the carnival atmosphere at Bloemfontein’s Manguang Oval, Malan was dropped on 83 by Alex Carey off the bowling of the impressive Adam Zampa (2-48) while he also had a slice of luck on 76, when a top edge landed safely between four converging Australian fielders.

And the 23-year-old, who averages more than 50 in first-class cricket, wouldn’t be denied as he brought up three digits from 124 balls.

The right-hander hit seven fours and three sixes as South Africa chased down a victory target of 272 with nine balls remaining – the opener sharing crucial partnerships with JJ Smuts (41), Klaasen (51) and David Miller (37 not out) as Australia’s bowlers struggled to make regular breakthroughs.

A career-best 69 from D’Arcy Short had earlier been the high point of Australia’s innings, the left-hander coming to the crease when the score was 3-81 after Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne had been dismissed in consecutive deliveries, the latter for a first-ball duck, as up to a dozen members of the South African-born batsman’s extended family watched on from the stands.

Short has been earmarked as a potential solution to Australia’s finishing problems in the middle order and he impressed here, registering the equal-top score of the innings along with skipper Aaron Finch to push his case for further opportunities in both the 50-over and T20 sides.

After Finch’s dismissal, Short and Mitchell Marsh (36 from 45 balls) shared a 66-run stand and looked poised to push Australia’s total towards the 300 mark, but a late-order collapse of 6-47 saw the tourists bowled out on the final ball of the innings.

The bowling hero for the hosts was undoubtedly Ngidi, who made three early breakthroughs as he recorded the best figures by a South African paceman since 2015.

Playing his 26th career match, the towering right-armer also cleaned up the tail to become the fastest man from his country to reach 50 ODI wickets and the 10th fastest overall.

But as was the case in the series-opener in Paarl, it was Ngidi’s early wickets that laid the foundation for another deserved Proteas win that leaves the Australians with only pride to play for in the final match of the tour in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

AUSTRALIA innings

David Warner c Janneman Malan b Lungi Ngidi 35
Aaron Finch c Quinton de Kock b Anrich Nortje 69
Steven Smith c JJ Smuts b Lungi Ngidi 13
Marnus Labuschagne c Janneman Malan b Lungi Ngidi 0
D’Arcy Short c Janneman Malan b Tabraiz Shamsi 69
Mitchell Marsh b Andile Phehlukwayo 36
Alex Carey c Quinton de Kock b Lungi Ngidi 21
Ashton Agar c Keshav Maharaj b Lungi Ngidi 9
Pat Cummins c JJ Smuts b Lungi Ngidi 6
Mitchell Starc lbw Anrich Nortje 3
Adam Zampa not out 3
Extras: (lb-3, w-4) 7
Total: (all out, 50.0 overs) 271
Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-81, 3-81, 4-158, 5-224, 6-238, 7-257, 8-263, 9-266.
Bowling: Keshav Maharaj 10-0-53-0, Anrich Nortje 10-0-59-2, Lungi Ngidi 10-0-58-6 (w-1), Andile Phehlukwayo 10-0-44-1 (w-2), Tabraiz Shamsi 10-0-54-1 (w-1).

SOUTH AFRICA innings
Janneman Malan not out 129
Quinton de Kock b Mitchell Starc 0
JJ Smuts c Pat Cummins b Adam Zampa 41
Kyle Verreynne c Mitchell Marsh b Pat Cummins 3
Heinrich Klaasen c Aaron Finch b Adam Zampa 51
David Miller not out 37
Extras (lb-4, nb-1, w-8) 13
Total: (four wkts, 48.3 overs) 274
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-92 s, 3-103, 4-184.
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 9.3-0-53-1 (w-1), Pat Cummins 10-1-59-1 (w-4, nb-1), Mitchell Marsh 9-0-51-0 (w-2), Ashton Agar 9-0-48-0, Adam Zampa 10-0-48-2 (w-1).