Marco Jansen's heroic five-wicket haul clinches series win for South Africa
In a thrilling one-day international showdown at Wanderers Stadium, Marco Jansen's spectacular performance saw South Africa clinch a remarkable series victory against Australia. The left-arm fast bowler's five-wicket haul decimated the Australian top order
FollowIn the fifth one-day international at Wanderers Stadium on Sunday, South Africa secured a series victory by having Marco Jansen eliminate the top five Australian batsmen in a come-from-behind win. Jansen, a left-arm fast bowler, achieved a remarkable performance by taking five wickets for 39 runs. This performance led to Australia's dismissal for a total of 193 runs while chasing South Africa's 315 for 9. South African captain Temba Bavuma highlighted the team's resilience, especially after losing the first two matches of the series, expressing confidence as they head into the upcoming World Cup in India next month. He stated, "There is a lot of confidence we can take, in that we had our backs against the wall and we showed we have ways of getting on top of the game. We will go to India in probably the best state we can be."
South Africa managed to win the last three matches of the series convincingly, with each victory by a margin of more than 100 runs. This turnaround occurred after Australian captain Mitchell Marsh decided to send South Africa in to bat.
Marsh acknowledged, "We were outplayed in the last three games but we have a one-day game in India on Friday, a lot of players coming back and a big World Cup coming up." Several key players, including regular captain Pat Cummins, fellow fast bowler Mitchell Starc, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, and star batsman Steve Smith, are set to rejoin the Australian team for a pre-World Cup series against India starting in Mohali on Friday.
On Sunday, Marsh's decision to bowl first seemed to pay off initially, as his bowlers managed to reduce South Africa to 103 for four in the 24th over on a pitch offering movement and bounce to the seamers.
Player of the series Aiden Markram (93) and David Miller (63) then combined for a 109-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Lower-order batsmen Jansen and Andile Phehlukwayo contributed to taking the total past 300 with some powerful hitting towards the end. Jansen, in particular, showcased his batting prowess by scoring 47 runs off 29 balls, including three sixes, while Phehlukwayo remained unbeaten with 39 runs off 19 deliveries, clearing the boundary four times.
Although Marsh and David Warner made a fiery start for the Australian innings, Jansen entered the attack and dismissed both Warner and Inglis in a single over, changing the course of the game. Despite a strong partnership between Marsh (71) and Marnus Labuschagne (44), Jansen's quick succession of wickets, including the dismissal of Alex Carey, put South Africa in a commanding position.
