Australia vs South Africa T20I Series: Glen Maxwell’s Heroics Wins the Day
Australia 173/8 (Maxwell 62*, Marsh 54, Bosch 3/26) beat South Africa 172/7 (Brevis 53, Ellis 3/31) by two wickets
Australia pulled off their highest successful T20I chase at home, in a dramatic fashion, defeating South Africa by two wickets in Cairns today. It was Glenn Maxwell who stole the show with an unbeaten 62 off 36 balls—his first T20I fifty in over a year—to seal a nail-biting finish.
Australia, at 122/6 in the 14th over, looked in serious trouble despite Mitchell Marsh’s fluent 54. The hosts needed 12 off 12 balls with Kagiso Rabada bowled out. Just when it looked simple, Corbin Bosch turned the game on its head, picking up two wickets in two balls, to deliver a sensational double-wicket maiden in the penultimate over. Australia, suddenly, required nine off the last over with only Maxwell and the tail left.
Also Read: Prithvi Shaw Set for Maharashtra Debut
Lungi Ngidi came in to bowl. His first ball looked destined for a six until Bosch, leaping over the rope at long-on, flicked it back in stunning fashion to save four. Maxwell, though, was not to be stopped. He threaded one past deep cover for four, turned down singles to keep strike, and finally reverse-hooked Ngidi over short third to finish the job with a ball to spare.
The victory extended Australia’s unbeaten run in bilateral T20I series to seven and proved once again their ability to thrive under pressure. For South Africa, however, the heartbreak continued. They have now lost their last three finals in the last over.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin Seeks Clarification from CSK
Bating first, South Africa’s 172/7 was built largely on a 61-run partnership between Dewald Brevis (53) and Tristan Stubbs, after a rather slow start from the top order. It looked enough as Australia were reduced to 88/4 and later 122/6.
Adam Zampa played a key role in keeping South Africa’s middle order in check on a surface that offered grip for spinners. Zampa was introduced straight after the powerplay and he struck with his googly to dismiss Ryan Rickelton. He later bowled Stubbs. Zampa finished with 2/24 off four overs.
