Durban - David Miller, limping with a groin strain, played the knock of a lifetime to propel the Proteas to a famous victory over Australia at Kingsmead last night.
Together with Andile Phehlukwayo, they added an unbroken 107 for the seventh wicket in just 74 balls to take South Africa past Australia’s record-breaking total of 371 with four balls to spare. When Phehlukwayo reverse-swept Adam Zampa for two in the final over, the crowd went crazy as they celebrated one of the Proteas’ greatest ODI victories.
“Not many sides would have got home from where we were,” said captain Faf du Plessis.
“David’s innings was one of the best I’ve ever seen and I’m so proud of him.”
The four-wicket win secured the series as South Africa hold a 3-0 lead with the two remaining matches.
The Proteas’ run chase was the second biggest in ODI history, and Miller’s century was the fastest scored at the ground.
He struck 10 fours and six sixes and brought his hundred up in just 74 balls.
Praise is also due to Phehlukwayo. The 20-year-old allrounder made a huge step forward in his career during this series with bat and ball.
Facing an intimidating total, the hosts started their reply in breathless fashion.
Hashim Amla celebrated his return by striking nine boundaries racing to 45 before being trapped lbw.
Quinton de Kock contributed another fine innings, but wickets fell regularly. It was then that “Miller time” propelled South Africa to victory when few would have given them a chance.
Yesterday, the Australians made good on their promise to improve. David Warner and Steve Smith struck hundreds as the innings began with two century partnerships. Aaron Finch crunched 50, while Travis Head smashed 35.
There was another record, one that Dale Steyn will not relish. He leaked 96 runs in 10 overs, the most expensive ODI spell by a South African.
These are the kind of days that international cricketers must dismiss with a shrug and a wan smile and then move on. No doubt both Steyn and Kagiso Rabada, who suffered his most expensive spell of 1/86 in 10 overs, will do so.
The Aussies owed their commanding total to the excellent foundation created by Warner and Finch. When the latter was dismissed in Imran Tahir’s second over, Australia had raced to 110 in 13.1 overs, a perfect platform for Smith to exploit.
The Australian captain, disappointing in the first two matches, was in fluent form. His cover drive is a thing of beauty and the large crowd was treated to a succession of them.
Warner struck his eighth ODI hundred with some typically brutal strokes: one straight drive off Dwayne Pretorius reached the rope before long-off could move more than a couple of steps.
But unlike in his previous two innings, he added a clinical element to his power, knowing that he needed to bat through the innings.
The nuggety left-hander has now surpassed his best accumulated total of 840 ODI runs in 2012, and he’s only played 18 innings. He is truly a phenomenon.
Tahir was South Africa’s best bowler, picking up the wickets of Finch and Warner in identical circumstances.
The batsmen holed out in the deep, but none of the others will remember the day with any affection as the Australian innings ended as it began, with the tourists smashing 100 runs off the last 10 overs.
The Star