Australia’s batsmen collapse in heavy defeat to South Africa in opening ODI
Australia have wilted under the South African heat, losing the one-day international series opener by 74 runs amid smoke from a nearby bushfire in Paarl.
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Australian players were left spluttering and feeling unwell overnight after the bushfire smoke that had stalked them all summer, finally caught up with them in South Africa.
Captain Aaron Finch was making no excuses for a sluggish Australia’s shock 74-run defeat against a depleted Proteas outfit in Paarl, but admitted players did find the conditions oppressive as veldt fires continued to rage across the surrounding mountains.
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It’s understood medical officers took an air quality reading before play, but the conditions were nowhere near oppressive enough to consider delaying or cancelling the fixture.
But for Australia it was a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire, after the bushfire crisis threatened cricket matches in Canberra and Sydney all summer, only for it to be in Paarl that the national team finally got stung by thick smoke engulfing the ground.
“It was very smoky out there. It probably hit us a little bit towards the back end of that innings,” said Finch.
“A lot of guys coughing and not feeling great now. But it’s no excuse at all. We were just outplayed.”
The smoke had been around for more than 24 hours already, but a fresh blaze breaking out towards the end of the match on the Du Toitskloof Mountain in view of the field, was a fascinating sight.
Fires near Paarl as the cricket plays on. Sadly familiar for the Australian players. #savaus #supersport pic.twitter.com/uKgo0lF3s3
— 🌠Paul Watson (@paulmwatson) February 29, 2020
As flames could be seen on the hill, Australia’s innings was smoldering into the dirt, with Steve Smith (76) unable to stop the visitors collapsing for 217.
Australia had South Africa on the ropes early at 1-0 and then 3-48, only for the Proteas to launch a counter attack through Heinrich Klaasen, who made a superb maiden international hundred.
It was enough to throw Australia’s much-vaunted attack off course, and in the end 291 was too much to chase down.
On paper, a South African team missing the likes of Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada looked like sitting ducks for an Australian white ball team on the march.
But instead, South Africa’s dominant recent record over Australia in ODIs prevailed.
The Proteas inflicted a loss on Australia at the back end of last year’s World Cup from which they never recovered, and Finch admits the hoodoo has to end.
Still plenty of bushfire smoke surrounding Boland Park in Paarl, but we’re ready to go for the first ODI between South Africa & Australia. First ball at 1pm local time (10pm AEDT) #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/Qyt7KYXQxf
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 29, 2020
“South Africa have got a great record against us in the recent past in this format of the game. It’s something that we need to address,” said Finch.
“When you come up against South Africa you know it’s going to be a tough contest regardless of who they put out on the park. I thought our energy was a little bit low in the field which is something that we pride ourselves on, so that was disappointing.
“A few of the guys have been a little bit crook last few days. That’s no excuse whatsoever. It took us a little bit of time to get into the game and our fielding was probably a little sloppy for the standard that we would expect from ourselves.”
South Africa and India have both made it clear they will be prioritising Test cricket and Twenty20 cricket this year and will unashamedly rest players in the 50-over format, with no World Cup on the horizon for another three years.
However, Finch says Australia will not follow suit and have no intention of resting players.
“We’re still a team that’s developing, trying to keep improving all the time. I think you have to do the format justice,” said Finch. “It’s important that when you’re on a road to improvement and trying to find your best combinations and give guys opportunities to establish themselves in the side, you have to give them the respect of continuing to stick with that for a little while as well.
“As soon as you start chopping and changing all the time, I think that’s when guys are looking over their shoulder for their spot.”
Aside from early firepower up front from Mitchell Starc and usual tradesman-like consistency from Pat Cummins (3-45), Australia’s highly rated bowling attack with Josh Hazlewood back endured a rare lapse which allowed the Proteas off the leash.
The small regional ground in Paarl provided perhaps the most willing atmosphere Australia has faced in its return to South Africa for the first time since Sandpapergate.
And although Smith and Warner were targets – with a couple of men spoken to on the hill for bringing sandpaper in and wearing hard hats – most of the heat was being directed at the homecoming Labuschagne.
Born in South Africa before emigrating to Australia aged 9, Labuschagne spent the afternoon on the fence being sledged – mostly playfully – in Afrikaans.
Labuschagne said before the match he does still speak some Afrikaans at home having retained it from his younger years.
SCORES
South Africa 7-291 (H Klaasen 123no, D Miller 64; P Cummins 3-45); Australia 217 (S Smith 76, M Labuschagne 41; L Ngidi 3-30).