Australia win Willowmoore warm-up
It was a good run for the Aussies ahead of their Test series against the Proteas.
Four second innings wickets from Australian paceman Mitchell Starc were the highlight of the third day’s play on February 24 in the warm-up clash between captain Steve Smith’s team and South Africa A at Sahara Park Willowmoore.
The match was played from February 22 to February 24 at Benoni’s cricket stadium.
The Australians emerged victorious by five wickets, but it was perhaps not as easy as they would have initially thought.
They will, however, be delighted to have got good time on the field in the match, which served as a precursor to the four-match Test series between the Australians and the Proteas, which gets underway in Durban on March 1.
South Africa A (led by Khaya Zondo) scored 220 runs in their first batting innings on day one (Theunis de Bruyn top-scoring with 46 runs) as the Australian quick bowlers acclimatised themselves to the Highveld conditions.
Pat Cummins (4/32 in 11 overs) and Josh Hazelwood (3/40 in12 overs) were the stars of the first innings with the leather.
With the bat, most of the Australian batsmen got starts, but could not convert those starts into milestones on day two.
Opener Cameron Bancroft scored 45 runs at the top of the order, but he struggled to find good partnerships.
Number eight batsman Cummins, however, showed his all-around ability.
His 59 runs helped the Aussies to a 109-run lead.
Beuran Hendricks was the star with the ball for SA A, bagging figures of 5/83 in 24.4 overs.
The left-armer picked up his 14th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket and found useful support from his fellow seamers Duanne Olivier and Malusi Siboto, who picked up two wickets apiece.
The home side’s openers, Zubayr Hamza and Pieter Malan, batted through the last 18 overs of day two to move their side to 55 for 0 at stumps.
Resuming on day three South Africa A were bowled out for 248, leaving the visitors a target of 140 runs that they chased down in 29.3 overs.
Star bowler Starc’s figures of 4/46 in 15 overs helped the Aussies bowl out SA A.
Seven SA A batsmen got to 20 runs but only Shaun von Berg, who smashed 52 off 43 balls, got to a half-century.
This reflected a larger trend across the match, it would continue through the Australians’ chase as well, which saw 24 scores of 20 runs or more, but only two half-centuries.
Cassim Suliman, CEO of the Eastern Cricket Union, said that it was a delight to host Steve Smith and his team in Benoni.
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