Australia secured a tense victory in the second World Cup 2023 semifinal against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, November 16. Led by Pat Cummins, the team has confirmed their place in the final showdown, where they will face India.
South Africa’s innings had a disastrous beginning as they batted first. Despite their strong performance in the group stages, they found themselves struggling at 24/4 within 12 overs, courtesy of the Australian pacers.
Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller collaborated to rescue South Africa from this predicament. Forming a partnership, they contributed 95 runs for the fifth wicket and began challenging the bowlers after the 25th over.
Travis Head got Heinrich Klaasen out for 47, but David Miller continued his important innings. Miller hit five sixes and eight boundaries, scoring an outstanding century with 101 runs off 116 balls.
Thanks to Miller’s efforts, South Africa reached a total of 212 in their first innings, with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins taking three wickets each for Australia.
Here are five notable records set in Australia’s three-wicket victory over South Africa:
#1 Highest number of wickets in a single ODI World Cup tournament for South Africa
Gerald Coetzee emerged as a standout performer in South Africa’s 2023 ODI World Cup journey. His relentless and high-paced bowling not only garnered attention but also proved highly effective for his team.
Coetzee’s remarkable performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup set a new record for the most wickets in a single campaign by a South African bowler, surpassing Klusener, Morkel, and Jansen who had 17 wickets each in their best campaigns.
#2 The first player to score a century for South Africa in World Cup knockout matches
South Africa, with a history of struggles in World Cup knockouts, witnessed a memorable performance from Miller, who became the first centurion for the team in this crucial stage with his remarkable 101 runs in the semi-final.
Miller’s century in the ODI World Cup knockout made history, being the first by a South African player in such a game, surpassing Faf du Plessis’ previous high score of 82 in the 2015 World Cup semifinal.
#3 The first non-Indian player to score 500+ runs in multiple ODI World Cup editions
Although David Warner managed just 29 runs, his innings provided impetus to the Australian chase, showcasing a strike rate of 161.11.
Notably, this knock propelled him to surpass 500 runs in the current tournament, making him the first non-Indian and third player overall to achieve this feat in multiple ODI World Cup editions.
In the ongoing 2023 edition, Warner has accumulated 528 runs, following his 647 runs in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
#4 The first centurion batting at No. 6 or lower in an ODI World Cup knockout game
With South Africa struggling at 24/4, David Miller stepped up to avert potential embarrassment in the crucial game. Displaying composure and resilience, the 34-year-old showcased a strong mindset at the Eden Gardens.
Miller’s remarkable century at No. 6 in the ODI World Cup knockout game is a historic feat, surpassing the previous best of 90 runs by Alex Blackwell in the 2017 women’s ODI World Cup semifinal.
#5 Australia secured the smallest winning margin in an ODI World Cup knockout match
Australia’s extensive experience in crucial matches became the determining factor as they narrowly won the game against South Africa by three wickets with 16 balls remaining, despite the Proteas’ bowlers putting up a strong fight defending their modest total of 212.
Australia’s latest three-wicket win is the smallest margin of victory in ODI World Cup knockout games, considering wickets remaining, breaking the record of three four-wicket wins.
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