World Cup 2023, Australia vs South Africa semi-final: Statistical preview
Australia will be up against South Africa in the second semi-final of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. Both sides would be high on confidence, having won seven of their nine league stage games apiece. However, the Aussies are known to nail high-pressure games and South Africa hold the choker's tag. Here we look at the statistical preview.
Here are the stadium stats
Kolkata's Eden Gardens will host the match on November 16 from 2:00pm IST. Teams batting first have won 23 out of 39 ODIs played here. 244 reads the average first innings total. India defended the lowest ODI score (195) here against SA (1993). While Australia have won two of three seven games here, SA own two wins and three defeats at this venue.
SA have a 55-50 win-loss record over the Aussies
As per ESPNcricinfo, the two teams have locked horns in 109 ODIs. Australia have won 50 matches compared to South Africa's 55. Three games have been tied with one match seeing a no result. In seven World Cup meetings, the two teams have three wins apiece against each other (Tie: 1). SA thrashed the Aussies by 134 runs in the 2023 WC league game.
Warner averages nearly 60 in the ODI World Cup
David Warner has been Australia's main man when it comes to batting. The veteran has hammered 1,491 runs from 27 World Cup matches at an average of 59.64. He has smashed six centuries and four fifties. Among Australians, he is only behind Ricky Ponting (1,743) in terms of World Cup runs. He has hammered two centuries in the ongoing event.
Other Aussie batters in solid form
Besides Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Glenn Maxwell have smashed centuries in the ongoing competition. Maxwell, in fact, clobbered a historic double-ton in his previous outing against Afghanistan. Earlier, he also slammed the fastest hundred in WC history, off 40 balls versus Netherlands. Marnus Labuschagne has also managed a couple of 50-plus scores. Marsh also has two tons in this competition.
Zampa has been on a roll
The lone specialist spinner in the entire Aussie squad, Adam Zampa has claimed 22 scalps in the ongoing tournament, the second-most for any bowler. While Josh Hazlewood has claimed 12 scalps, Mitchell Starc and skipper Pat Cummins own 10 wickets apiece. All-rounders Maxwell, Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis have also contributed significantly with the ball.
Quinton de Kock is in sublime form
Quinton de Kock is making the most of this last ODI World Cup having scored 591 runs in nine matches, slamming four centuries. He owns 958 runs in 17 ODIs in India at an impressive average of 56.94. He has hammered six tons. QDK relishes playing against Australia in ODIs, having slammed three tons and as many fifties against them.
Top stats on offer for SA batters
Aiden Markram is SA's leading run-getter in ODIs in 2023 with 973 runs at an average of 57.23. This is the maximum he has scored in a year in ODIs. De Kock (934) and Heinrich Klaasen (853) are just behind him. Klaasen owns a strike rate of 147.06. Markram, QDK, Klaasen, Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen all own three-plus centuries this year.
A look at SA's bowling attack
Marco Jansen is their leading wicket-taker this year with 33 scalps while Gerald Coetzee is second with 29 wickets. Coetzee is also SA's highest wicket-taker in the 2023 World Cup with 18 scalps. Jansen owns 17 dismissals from the tournament. Kagiso Rabada with 23 wickets in the World Cup is SA's highest wicket-taker in their current squad. He owns 29 wickets against Australia.
