Third one-day international, Newlands, Cape Town:
South Africa 289-6 (50 overs) bt Australia 264-7 (50 overs) by 25 runsMatch scorecard
 Van der Merwe captured the wickets of Clarke, Mike Hussey and Ferguson |
South Africa saw off Australia by 25 runs in Cape Town to take a 2-1 lead in the five-game one-day series. AB de Villiers top-scored with 80 for the Proteas after they won the toss and posted a total of 289-6, while left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson took 4-34. Australia's top five batsmen failed to fire, although Callum Ferguson (63) and James Hopes (63 not out) added 97 in a late rally by the tourists. Left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe, playing only his second ODI, took 3-37. Although South Africa captain Graeme Smith fell early and his opening partner Herschelle Gibbs soon followed for 26, the home side were indebted to a 114-run third-wicket stand between Jacques Kallis and De Villiers. Kallis's innings of 70 from 86 balls - which earned him the man-of-the-match award ahead of his younger partner - was ended when he pulled a wide delivery from Brett Geeves to Hopes at mid-wicket.  | 606: DEBATE |
De Villiers followed soon afterwards when he got a leading edge to a slower ball from Johnson and spooned a catch to mid-off. At that stage, the Proteas were 198-4 with nine overs remaining - but some big hitting by JP Duminy (32), Albie Morkel (29) and Mark Boucher (28 off 15 balls) - that quartet hit four sixes between them - added 91 more precious runs off the final overs. Although Australia's top five did not bat as calamitously as they did in the second one-dayer, when they made only 18 runs between them, there will be cause for concern that their star batsmen started well but failed to push on. Keeper Brad Haddin was the first to fall, run out by a superb direct hit from Duminy at cover. Ricky Ponting himself was dropped twice off successive balls by Boucher and Kallis, and then survived a mix-up with Michael Clarke when the Aussie skipper was stranded in the middle of the wicket but a poor throw by Morkel gave him another chance. But the Aussie skipper's luck ran out when he hit a flighted delivery from off-spinner Johan Botha back to the bowler. It was then rookie Van der Merwe's chance to cause havoc, as he bowled Clarke (35) and trapped Mike Hussey lbw, despite the suggestion of an inside edge. Duminy's occasional off-spin also made an instant breakthrough when he removed Hussey's brother David. Ferguson and Hopes came together with 176 still needed in just under 20 overs. But their brave sixth-wicket stand was ended when Van der Merwe returned and enticed Ferguson to hole out to De Villiers at cover and more brilliant fielding by the lively Duminy ran Johnson out, effectively ending the tourists' hopes of victory. The fourth ODI takes place in Port Elizabeth on Monday. "In the test series guys did put up their hands (and performed well), but in the last couple of games too few guys have been trying to carry the load," said Ponting. "We just need a better and more rounded team performance if we are going to win in Port Elizabeth."
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