Hits and flops of Australia-South Africa ODI series

Australia emerged 4-1 winners against South Africa

The 5-match ODI series between Australia and South Africa concluded with the hosts beating the visitors by a comprehensive margin of 4-1. Here is a look at the heroes and zeroes of the series.

Hits:

Australia

Steven Smith: He got a chance to prove hmself only after Michael Clarke was ruled out of the series due to his troublesome hamstring injury. But if there is one person who can take the credit for winning the series for the Aussies, then it has to be Smith. He has not only proved that he is a match winner but has also, more or less, cemented his place in the starting XI for the ICC World Cup.

He has made sure that the selectors cannot ignore him anymore, and deservedly received the Man of the Series in spite of missing the first match of the series.

Josh Hazlewood: Another find for Australia in this series is the young Josh Hazlewood, who gives the breakthroughs for his team when they need one. Hazlewood studies the pitch well and bowls according to the team plan.

Unlike Nathan Coulter-Nile, who is quite wavered in his line and length and gives away a lot of runs, Hazlewood bowls to the stumps. His 5-wicket haul in the 2^nd ODI in Perth, though in a losing cause, showed that he has the never say die spirit of the Aussies. He has rightfully earned a place in the squad for the first Test match against India at the Gabba, Brisbane.

South Africa

AB de Villiers: This man is truly a blessing for the Proteas; he can score whenever he wants and however he wants. He has been ever so consistent and has done well no matter what the situation is. He is there to both steady the innings as well as accelerate it and, on a lighter note, even picks up a wicket if necessary. Till he is there at the crease, the South African team breathes easy.

Having scored 271 runs from 4 matches at an average of 67.75 in this series, he has undoubtedly been one of the leading lights for the Proteas once again. South Africa must be hoping that the injury he suffered towards the latter part of the series doesn’t keep him off for too many matches, and they come back stronger in the tournament that matters the most.

Quinton de Kock: Only 21 and he has been scoring centuries at will. Though consistency might be a problem, he, along with Amla at the top of the order, can prove lethal for any opposition. He showed glimpses of his class in the final match of the series, and he is definitely capable of more. He would want to justify the opening slot given to him and the best way to do so is by scoring runs.

Flops:

Australia

Shane Watson: Shane Watson has not been in great form with both bat and ball. He has leaked runs while bowling and doesn’t really look like a wicket-taking bowler anymore. His batting, on the other hand, hasn’t clicked for a while now and this series was no excpetion, other than the last match.

He needs to assess his role in the team properly and comeback stronger in the batting department as the Aussies have a good bowling attack already. Australia, leading up to the World Cup, will want him to concentrate on one department and excel in that instead of failing in both.

Glen Maxwell: Maxwell has been taken in by the Aussies as an all-rounder, but the ‘Big Show’ was no show in this series. Maxwell should bat according to the situation rather than go for the shots as soon as he walks in. He is a more dangerous batsman when he settles down for 2-3 overs and reads the pitch better. Unfortunately for the Aussies, Maxwell has not been able to do that in the series and hence features in this list.

South Africa

Farhaan Behardien: South Africa’s search for a fifth bowler will remain a search even after the end of the series as Behardien has neither batted nor bowled well on this tour. At times, he has managed to pick an odd wicket, but his place in the team is questionable. He did silence his critics in the final match, but it was already too late. Behardien would be making way for JP Duminy when the latter returns to the team as on this tour, he has been a failure for the Proteas.

Faf du Plessis: After donning the No.3 position, Faf was unstoppable and was scoring runs quite freely. This series, though, has been different for him and the runs have not come as expected. His batting did not match up to the level of brilliance he showed in the field. The South Africans will be hoping that this series is just a blip and that he comes back stronger in the marquee event next year since their batting revolves around him.