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Following his side's 134-run win over Australia in their ICC Cricket World Cup match, South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma said that it was "almost the perfect game" and credited batter Quinton de Kock for his second successive WC century that set up the win for Proteas.
A century from De Kock and fantastic bowling spells from Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen helped South Africa defeat Australia by 134 runs and inflict on the five-time champions their biggest-ever WC loss. "I do think 311 was a couple over par, probably 290-300 was par. I guess I am glad we lost the toss because we wanted to chase as well. I was scratchy with the bat, found it hard but Quinton (de Kock) needs to be given credit for the way he played. I think I would be really greedy if I said there are things we can improve. It was almost the perfect game. The bowlers bowled really well, they have been under some slap but looking at all the phases, I think the guys really dominated. I will take that as our second game. Need to acknowledge the batting effort, the bowling effort was all about being clinical. Lungi (Ngidi) taking the new ball and KG (Rabada) showing intensity is what we are looking for. In our team, character is the biggest thing we have spoken about. You cannot overlook the good work we have done, let us take the confidence and learnings. Let us celebrate it and come back for the next one," said Bavuma in a post-match presentation. Coming to the match, Australia opted to field first. Quinton de Kock (109 in 106 balls, eight fours and five sixes) smashed his second successive WC ton. Aiden Markram (56 in 44 balls, seven fours and a six) and skipper Temba Bavuma (35 in 55 balls, two fours) also played some solid knocks to power SA to 311/7 in 50 overs. Glenn Maxwell (2/34) and Mitchell Starc (2/53) got two wickets. Also, skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Adam Zampa got a wicket each. In the case of 312, Australia sunk to 70/6 initially, with Kagiso Rabada (3/33) and Keshav Maharaj (2/30) wreaking havoc. A partnership of 69 runs between Marnus Labuschagne (46 in 74 balls, three fours) and Mitchell Starc (27 in 51 balls, three fours) helped the Aussies cross the 100-run mark, but they were bundled out for 177 in 40.5 overs, registering a 134-run loss, their biggest in WC history. Tabraiz Shamsi (2/38) and Marco Jansen (2/54) were also great with the ball. Lungi Ngidi got one wicket. Now, SA is at the top with two wins in two games and four points. Australia is in the ninth spot, having lost both games. De Kock got the 'Player of the Match' award for his ton. (ANI)
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