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South Africa have beaten Australia by 122 runs in the fifth and final one-day international to seal a 3-2 series victory.
Australia collapsed to be all out for 193 in pursuit of the home side’s 9-315 in Johannesburg after South Africa overcame a slow start to post an imposing target.
Mitchell Marsh scored 71 off 56 balls, but it was nowhere near enough.Credit: Getty Images
Only Mitchell Marsh offered any real resistance for Australia with an early 71 off 56 balls before falling to Marco Jansen, who was South Africa’s chief destroyer, returning career-best figures of 5-39 off eight overs. Jansen had also shone with bat, posting a quickfire 47 runs off 23 balls in the South African innings.
Marnus Labuschagne chipped in with 44 off 63 for Australia, but it wasn’t enough to keep the visitors in the match as, one by one, the batting order crumbled.
Marsh and Labuschagne added 90 for the third wicket before their back-to-back dismissals sparked a horror 8-69 collapse.
Jansen started with a double-wicket maiden in his first over, sending danger man David Warner (11) and Josh Inglis (0) packing.
The South African then gave World Cup hopeful Labuschagne – the series leading runscorer with 283 at 70.75 – a real working over early and he should have had Marsh for 35 but for a moment of confusion in the field.
Marsh’s miscued shot sailed high in the air before the ball plopped between Gerald Coetzee in the outfield and Aiden Markram at midwicket, Coetzee the guilty party.
After crunching Jansen for successive sixes, Marsh’s attempted third maximum in the over proved his downfall, uppercutting to Lungi Ngidi on the third man boundary.
Jansen then captured Labuschagne and Alex Carey (2) with short balls to collect the first five wickets of the innings.
Maharaj bowled Tim David (1), accepted a return catch from Cameron Green (18) and destroyed the tail.
Earlier, Aiden Markram fell short of his second century of the series as South Africa surged past the 300-mark at a sold-out Wanderers Stadium.
Markram (93) and David Miller (63) and Andile Phehlukwayo (39no) all took turns setting the scoreboard alight after the Proteas were sent in.
Australian spinner Adam Zampa (3-71) bounced back from his nightmare in Centurion – where he conceded an ODI record 0-113 – to mastermind a mini-collapse of 4-23 before Phehlukwayo cut loose late, belting Michael Neser’s last four balls of the innings for 6, 6, 6, 4.
South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj is bowled.Credit: AP
After sweeping the Proteas 3-0 in the Twenty20s, Australia had marched to a 2-0 ODI series lead, but their tour ended disastrously, crushed by 111, 164 and 122 runs in the last three fixtures while also losing gun opener Travis Head to a fractured hand at Centurion.
Australia’s bowlers were treated with disdain in the back half of the tour, while the tourists’ brisk starts with the bat were repeatedly undermined by huge collapses, all worrying signs leading into the World Cup.
Squad for India announced
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will return to the Australian one-day international squad for the three-match series in India after recovering from injuries, the Australian Cricket Board said on Sunday.
The three ODIs, which will be played between September 22 and 27 in Mohali, Indore and Rajkot, will serve as a tune-up for the 50-over World Cup, which begins on October 5.
Cummins has not played since the final Ashes Test in England in July as he nursed a fractured wrist, while fellow fast bowler Starc has been recovering from a groin injury.
Smith played the Ashes series with a wrist tendon injury, while Maxwell is returning from an ankle injury.
All four players skipped the series in South Africa, with Mitchell Marsh captaining the side against the Proteas.
Matthew Short has also been called up as an extra batter, while Head recovers from a fracture to his left hand.
Opening batter Head’s World Cup participation is in doubt after he broke his hand in Friday’s game against South Africa. He will undergo further medical review on return to Australia.
Australia have until September 28 to finalise their 15-man World Cup squad.
The Australian squad:
Pat Cummins (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Reuters, AP, AAP
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