Zaahier Adams in Port Elizabeth
If Australia were bemoaning having a second-choice attack on this ill-fated tour, the Proteas had no such problems at a windswept St George’s Park in the fourth ODI here on Sunday.
With the series already won after the humdinger in Durban mid-week, national convenor Linda Zondi and his fellow Proteas selectors made as many as four changes to the Kingsmead line-up. In came Kyle Abbott, Tabraiz Shamsi, Aaron Phangiso and Farhaan Behardien for the rested Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir and injured David Miller.
The incoming players were certainly “hungry” to make an impact, and it was Abbott and Shamsi that took full advantage of their opportunity. Abbott required just three balls to leave his mark on the game after Australian captain Steve Smith had won the toss and elected to bat.
The new Warriors seamer delivered a full pitched delivery just outside the off stump that moved back just enough to get through an extravagant drive on the up from Australian opener Aaron Finch. The off-stump went cartling and the traditional St George’s Parkband had something to cheer early on in the day.
The tunes grew even louder when Abbott sent down an even better delivery to danger man David Warner with the first ball of his next over. Whereas not a single delivery moved off the seam in the first three ODI’s on the Highveld and Durban, Abbott was getting the white ball to seriously sing to his rhythm here in Port Elizabeth.
Unlike Finch who was playing an attacking shot, Warner was actually on the defensive which made Abbott’s delivery an even better on. Both Australia’s openers were back in the hut after just 13 balls with only nine runs on the scoreboard.
But the early exchanges were not just “The Abbott Show” with Dwaine Pretorius also getting into the act. Having been handed the new ball with Rabada resting, the Highveld Lions all-rounder showed good control bowling into a stiff wind from the Park Drive End.
He used it to his advantage when he too got one to tail back into George Bailey, who completely played the wrong length by opting to go back instead of pushing forward. The ball cannoned into his pads and he was right not to review umpire Nigel Llong’s original lbw decision. Australia were 12/3 after 3.2 overs.
The carnage did not end there for the visitors though. After brief resurrection period, Shamsi wrecked further havoc from the Duck Pond End. The Titans star tore the heart out of the Aussie middle-order when he bagged two lbw decisions in the space of three balls.
Shamsi firstly claimed the big scalp of Smith when he got one to turn sharply back into the Aussie captain. Although umpire Adrian Holdstock initially turned down Shamsi’s vociferous appeal, the leg-spinner convinced his skipper Faf du Plessis to send the decision upstairs. It proved the correct decision with the television replays showing three reds on Hawkeye and Smith was forced to head back to the pavilion.
New batsman Travis Head, who in the preview stated that is Shamsi plays the Aussies shouldn’t have too many problems with the chinaman should he play today, was made to eat his words after just two balls when it wrapped him on the pads too. With no reviews left, Head was forced to accept Holdstock’s decision, which TV replays showed to be accurate, and Australia were left in deep, deep trouble.
Marsh did a half decent job in resurrecting the innings with a 72-ball half-century along with wicket-keeper Matthew Wade (52 off 58 balls), but it was Abbott that once again engineered the breakthrough when he returned to the attack from the opposite end. Hitting just the right length outside the off-stump, the right-arm seamer found Marsh’s outside edge just when Australia looked to push on.
It was just the opening the South Africans required with Shamsi getting into the act once more when he trapped John Hastings in almost identical fashion his two previous wickets. Abbott was not done yet either, with he too replicating his earlier dismissals to clean bowl Adam Zampa.
Wade and Chris Tremain (23 not out) brought some respectability to the total with a 46-run partnership for the ninth wicket, but Phangiso, who too was playing in his first game of the series, ensured the earlier hard work was not undone when he snared two lbw decisions to close out the Australian innings.
TEAMS AT ST GEORGE’S PARK
B>South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (capt), Rilee Rossouw, JP Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kyle Abbott, Aaron Phangiso, Tabraiz Shamsi
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith (capt), George Bailey, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Mathew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Adam Zampa, Chris Tremain, Scott Boland