3 players who starred and 2 who flopped in the South Africa vs Australia World Cup 2023 semifinal match ft. Travis Head & Quinton de Kock
South Africa and Australia played out another contest for the history books as they engaged in a thriller at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, November 16. In the end, the Aussies clinched a three-wicket win and sealed their spot in the final of the 2023 World Cup.
It was a mixed bag from both teams, with the contest see-sawing throughout the two innings. While bowlers got plenty of assistance from the surface, with some impressive displays across both semifinalists, certain batters got stuck in and made important contributions. Others, however, couldn't impress.
On that note, here are three players who starred and two who flopped in the South Africa vs Australia World Cup 2023 semifinal match.
#5 Star - Josh Hazlewood
Just how good was Josh Hazlewood at the start of the 2023 World Cup semifinal against South Africa? The fast bowler took a page out of Glenn McGrath's playbook, as he has done so often in his career.
Hazlewood was simply relentless in the first 20 overs of Australia's bowling innings, smashing the ball onto a good length and generating appreciable bounce to trouble the South African batters. He also got the ball to seam around in both directions, refusing to give away any looseners.
Hazlewood was bound to pick up wickets as he forced the Protea batters into trying to break the shackles. He ended up with two, although why he didn't bowl out is something only Pat Cummins knows.
#4 Flop - Quinton de Kock
One of Hazlewood's victims, Quinton de Kock couldn't continue his prolific run in the 2023 World Cup in the semifinal clash against Australia. The Aussie bowlers bowled tight lines and lengths to the destructive opener to keep him quiet.
After playing more than two overs without finding the boundary, De Kock ran out of patience and tried to take Hazlewood on. If at all he wanted to take a risk, it should've been against Mitchell Starc at the other end. Cummins plucked a superb catch as South Africa's leading run-getter in the tournament walked back early.
De Kock somewhat made up for it with some spectacular powerplay takes behind the stumps, but the Proteas would've wanted more from their star man, who also dropped Cummins late in the piece. He has bowed out from ODI cricket on a slightly upsetting note.
#3 Star - Travis Head
Travis Head came into the semifinal clash against South Africa with two successive failures to his name, but he stepped up in the big clash as he came up with a match-winning all-round display.
Head first broke a dangerous partnership between David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen with a straightish one that beat the latter before getting one to turn appreciably off the very next ball to trap Marco Jansen in front. The off-spinner's five overs went for just 21.
Head also provided the necessary impetus to Australia's chase in tricky conditions. The first few overs of the powerplay were the easiest for batting, and the southpaw made the most of that by striking nine fours and two sixes in a counter-attacking knock.
#2 Flop - Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell went wicketless despite the Eden Gardens pitch having something in it for the spinners. Fingers can't really be pointed at the off-spinner, though, as he kept things tight against some big hitters and went for just 35 runs in 10 overs.
However, Maxwell can be blamed for the ridiculous shot he played off Tabraiz Shamsi to be castled. With Australia needing a calming presence at the crease, the dynamic right-hander tried to hit his way out of trouble and picked one that kept slightly low to heave across the line.
Maxwell's stumps were shattered, giving South Africa a serious foothold on the contest. Australia were reduced to 137/5 when he was dismissed, and things could've easily gone pear-shaped.
#1 Star - David Miller
David Miller hadn't had the chance to spend too much time in the middle during South Africa's league encounters. When he did have the overs to bat out, in the semifinal, he showed what he's made of.
Miller almost single-handedly took the Proteas to a defendable total, smashing a century that featured eight fours and five sixes. He never let the Aussies' trump card Adam Zampa settle, capitalizing on anything in his arc to keep the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs.