AUS vs SA assets, SA vs AUS 2023

11:52 PM IST, 20:22 Local Time: When the odds were stacked against Australia, two superheroes disguised in the name of Marnus Labuschagne and Ashton Agar bridged the massive deficit of the two scores. Australia are victorious by three wickets from a very difficult position. They were 113-7 after 16.3 overs and a massive 112* runs partnership saw the Aussies take a 1-0 lead in this ODI series.

Marnus came in as a concussion substitute for Cameron Green and made a stupendous impact with the bat straightaway. Remember, this is not just the home of South Africa but also of Labuschagne, and who can stop him in his country of birth? It's a statement made to the selectors of the Australian Cricket Board to axe the 29-year-old from the upcoming World Cup next month.

The South African pacers kicked off the second innings with some fire. Marco Jansen made the ball move laterally in the first over and the variable bounce off the surface helped him knock over David Warner early. Mitch Marsh was trying to take on Kagiso Rabada’s looseners who was operating from the other end. But it did not last long as the paceman bounced back with the last laugh. 

Rabada followed fire with some kerosene spilled into it, sending Cameron Green back to the dressing room retired hurt. A rising delivery hit the Aussie all-rounder on the head and he had to trudge off the field. Head was trying to hang around for a while but the introduction of Lungi Ngidi was enough to get the better of him. A few more wickets followed and it took Marnus to step up as a concussion substitute after the fall of the fifth wicket.

The Aussie side were curtailed down to 113-7 and it was followed by some sensible resilience. The fans were treated to some proper ODI cricket classics from Marnus and Agar. The pair orchestrated a 112* runs stand for the eighth wicket to steer Australia past the finishing line. The pair kept ticking the scoreboard with no pressure of required run rate. 

The left and right-hand combination worked very well for the Kangaroos as they tackled the change of bowling from the Proteas line-up quite well. The ball was in the court of South Africa but Marnus Labuschagne and Ashton Agar were the two person who eclipsed the brilliance of Temba Bavuma who notched up a fabulous century earlier today.

Earlier, Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first. Bavuma and Quinton de Kock opened with the former being caught by Marcus Stoinis in the ninth over. Rassie van der Dussen fell prey to a harsh mix-up, ending up victimized to run out. Despite their best efforts, Aiden Markram and Bavuma were unable to extend the innings, as the scoreboard read 70-3 at one point in time. A quick couple of wickets followed and Bavuma sought Jansen's support.

The pair put up 57 runs for the sixth wicket and right after, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Gerald Coetzee went back to the hut in quick succession. Then, Bavuma adopted an authoritative approach and made a concerted effort to swing the blade cautiously. While Ngidi avoided a knockout by virtue of review, Alex Carey dropped a catch of Bavuma. These enabled them to score 222 runs in 49 overs by adding 37 runs for the final wicket. Temba Bavuma raced to his century and the first-ever versus Australia in ODIs. Hazlewood, who had three wickets for the visitors, was their best bowler, and Marcus Stoinis was the next best with a couple.