Marnus Labuschagne's 80*, Ashton Agar's 48*, and Josh Hazlewood's 3-41 helped Australia register a thrilling 3-wicket victory against South Africa in the 1st ODI of the 5-match series in Bloemfontein.
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| Image Credits: ESPN Cricinfo |
Toss Update: Australia won the toss and opted to field first.
South Africa was sent into bat first and managed to score 222 runs on the board, losing all 10 wickets in 49 overs. The team had a turbulent innings, losing their first five wickets for just 100 runs. However, despite nursing a hamstring injury, Temba Bavuma played a crucial role in helping South Africa reach a par total by holding one end tight.
Bavuma played as an opener and scored an unbeaten 114 runs off of 142 balls, which included 14 fours and a six. Despite losing wickets on the other end, Bavuma played an anchor role for his team. Marco Jansen, coming in at number 7, and making 32 runs was also a plus for the home side.
Australia was chasing a target of 223 runs to win and they managed to score 225 runs, losing 7 wickets in 40.2 overs to win the game by a 3-wicket margin. At one point, Australia seemed to be in a difficult position as they were struggling at 113-7, and it looked like South Africa was on their way to winning the game. However, Marnus Labuschagne, who walked in at no. 8 as a concussion substitute for Cameron Green, had other plans and played a crucial role in Australia's victory.
During the match, Marnus scored 80 not out and Ashton Agar scored 48 not out. Together, they formed an unbeatable partnership of 112* runs for the 8th wicket. They managed to take their team to victory with only three wickets remaining. This was a great moment in the game and could be the defining moment of this 5-match ODI series.
Match result: Australia defeated South Africa by a margin of 3 wickets.
Marnus Labuschagne has been adjudged as the Player of the Match for his crucial contribution of 80* not out off 93 deliveries including 8 fours.
Brief Scores: Australia: 225-7 in 40.2 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 80*, Ashton Agar 48*, Gerald Coetzee 2-44) defeated South Africa: 222-10 in 49 overs (Temba Bavuma 114*, Josh Hazlewood 3-41) by a margin of 3 wickets
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