South Africa have beaten five-time champions and serious title contenders Australia in their group-stage ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday (October 12). While South Africa were asked to bat first and posted 311/7 in their 50 overs, they then bundled out the opposition for 177 to win the match by 134 runs to taste their second successive win in the competition. Meanwhile, the most successful team in the history of the tourament, Australia, are off to a horror start, having lost each of their first two matches.
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After being told to bat first, the Protean side were off to a very good start which set the foundation of their win. Quinton de Kock scored 109 off 106 balls and along with Temba Bavuma (35 off 55) shared a 108-run opening stand. Aiden Markram also scored a half-century (56 off 44 deliveries) while Rassie van der Dussen (26), Heinrich Klaasen (29), David Miller (17) and Marco Jansen (26) all chippped in with useful contributions. For Australia, it was Glenn Maxwell's 2/34 that stood out in terms of bowling performances. Adam Zampa also picked a wicket but went for 70 in his 10 overs. Mitchell Starc (2/53) off 9 overs was also impressive while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins picked a solitary wicket each.
While South Africa had beaten Sri Lanka in their first match, Australia had succumbed to a defeat against India in their World Cup opener. To make matters worse, this is the Men in Yellow's worst defeat in a fixture of the ODI World Cup a tournament in which they have dominated with five titles to their credit so far. Ausies were being rated as one of the serious title contenders this year as well and could still make it to the semis, given the round-robin stage of the competition buy they would be far from pleased with their performance in this match.