By The Daily Bharat Express (Sports-Desk): Australia reached their record eighth ODI World Cup final on Thursday (Nov 16) after they got the better of Temba Bavuma’s South Africa at the Eden Gardens in the east Indian city of Kolkata. A three–wicket win for the Aussies will now see them face hosts India in the final as they both meet for the second time in an International Cricket Council (ICC) final, having earlier met in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Travis Head was the star of the show for the Aussies after his all-round performance with both bat and ball helped his side clinch a place in Sunday’s showdown clash.
Australia book final clash with India
With a place up for grabs, Australia punched their ticket for the summit clash against India after producing a one-sided contest at the Eden Gardens. Chasing 213, David Warner (29) and Travis Head (62) made sure the five-time champions got off to a perfect start with a 60-run stand. However, successive wickets jolted their momentum, but Steven Smith (30) and Josh Inglis did enough to get the Aussies over the line. Marnus Labuschagne also scored an important 18 while South Africa bowlers were in little mood.
There were wickets for Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Gerald Coetzee, and Keshav Maharaj while their stand-out bowler was Tabraiz Shamsi with two.
What happened earlier?
Earlier, Australia steamrolled South Africa batters with a dominant show as they reduced the Proteas to 212 in 49.4 overs. David Miller was the only silver lining for South Africa as he top-scored with 101 before they were bowled out. Skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc were the stars of the show for the Aussies as they scalped eight wickets between them. Starc ended with impressive figures of 34/3 in his 10 overs while Cummins ended with 51/3. Travis Head scalped two wickets in the contest in his five overs.
Australia will next take on India in the ODI World Cup final on Sunday (Nov 19) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The summit clash will decide the next world champions as both India and Australia look to add to their tally.
