It was an evening of pure calamity for Australia’s middle order as they capitulated in spectacular fashion to hand South Africa a 98-run victory in the first ODI. A promising chase was reduced to rubble as player after player failed to cope with the spin of Keshav Maharaj.
The procession of wickets began after a solid 60-run opening stand. From there, the scorecard took on a grim look for the hosts. None of the batters from number three to seven managed to reach double figures, a statistic that underscores the scale of the disaster.
Alex Carey and Josh Inglis, the specialist batter and wicketkeeper respectively, were both dismissed cheaply, playing poor shots. The experienced middle order, expected to guide the chase, instead folded under the relentless pressure applied by Maharaj, who finished with 5-33.
This collective failure left captain Mitch Marsh (88) stranded and fighting a lone, impossible battle. The calamitous performance has exposed a significant weakness in the Australian setup, which their opponents will be keen to exploit further.