Renshaw stunned by all-time screamer as ‘disappointing’ Aussies collapse
South Africa fast bowler Marco Jansen sent the home crowd into raptures with an all-time screamer to remove Aussie batter Matthew Renshaw during the first ODI overnight.
With Australia needing 83 runs from as many balls for victory, Renshaw belted a short ball from Gerald Coetzee towards the square leg boundary.
South Africa fastbowler Marco Jansen took this spectacular one-handed catch. Fox Sports
Jansen started after it, but didn’t look a chance to make up the ground before diving to his right and snatching the ball out of mid-air.
Renshaw – and just about everyone else in the Kingsmead stadium – was stunned.
“That is sensational! Marco Jansen what did you just do? Sticks out the big mitt and takes an unbelievable catch,” Natalie Germanos said in commentary.
Equally excited, former Proteas fast bowler Shaun Pollock said Jansen had “no right getting to that ball”.
“It looked like he was on a treadmill,” he added.
The Proteas were able to carry the momentum through the rest of the innings to bowl the Aussies out for 230 and secure a 67 run victory, despite the absence of four frontline fast bowlers.
Batting first, Matthew Breetzke notched his second ODI hundred before spinner Keshav Maharaj took 4-20 in 9.2 overs to lead the charge for the home side.
Breetzke scored 112 off 106 balls and Jansen countercharged in the latter half of the innings with a 75 that included four sixes and seven boundaries to give South Africa a total of 8-297.
In reply, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head got the Aussie chase off to a strong start, putting 90 on the board in nine overs before Marsh became Maharaj’s first victim for 60 off just 36 balls.
Marsh smacked six sixes, including a 104-metre hit against Jansen that sailed over the roof of the dressing room at square leg and landed at the roadside before he chipped Maharaj to covers in the 10th over.
Head was then joined by Cooper Connolly, and the pair put on 39 for the second wicket as Maharaj and Fortuin began to get the ageing ball to grip and turn.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj led the Proteas’ attack. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
Maharaj and Fortuin then ran through the middle order with Josh Inglis and Connolly mistiming their shots against Fortuin, and Maharaj accounting for the wickets of Cameron Green and debutant all-rounder Jack Edwards.
Renshaw made 44 before Jansen’s stunner gave Coetzee a wicket in his first ODI in three years.
South Africa is battling with a lengthy injury list with four of its fast bowlers including Kagiso Rabada and Kwena Maphaka ruled out of the series due to hamstring injuries.
Earlier, Breetzke and Jansen’s 107-run sixth-wicket stand in 14 overs spurred South Africa after Australia had controlled the game and kept the home team in check at 5-168 in the 34th over.
Josh Hazlewood (1-50) was disciplined with the new ball and was more effective than Mitchell Starc (0-60) while Nathan Ellis continued his fine form with the use of wobble seam and slow deliveries (3-57).
Adam Zampa also struck inside his first two overs with the wickets of Bavuma (30) and Ryan Rickelton (27) while David Miller struggled to get going and made 9 off 25 balls before Jansen and Breetzke shared a century-stand.
Breetzke took a back seat as Jansen blazed his way to 41 off 31 balls and was lucky when Connolly dropped a difficult catch before he completed his third ODI half-century.
Breetzke completed his century with a single in the 44th over and celebrated the landmark with a big roar and gesture to the sky. He was run out in the 48th over while going for a needless second run.
Jansen was trapped leg before wicket by Ellis in the next over but not before the left-hander had equalled his career-best score and gave South Africa enough runs to defend.
“Pretty disappointing,” Marsh said. “South Africa outplayed us … we pushed to try and get a couple of extra wickets, and it didn’t work out. I sound like a broken record, but we weren’t able to form partnerships.”
Mitch Marsh led the Aussie batting chase, but had little support. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
By contrast, South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma said he was “very satisfied”.
“The way Matthew Breetzke played, the positions and intensity was something to commend. The way Marco Jansen played as well was great … the spinners did an incredible job.”
The remaining two ODIs in the three-game series are on Sunday and Wednesday.
