Aussies start tour on losing note
Australia has starting their tour of South Africa on a losing note, going down by two runs in a 20/20 match
this morning at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
South Africa made a massive 4-201 in their innings after Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat,
with starring with 89* off 58 balls.
Australia were kept to 7-199, with bowling all-rounder Brett Lee top scoring with a dazzling 43 runs off
21 balls.
The world-champions started poorly, losing the early wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting cheaply,
while Simon Katich (39) and the blonde diesel Michael Clarke (37) contributed their fair share.
Lee and Brad Hogg came together to combine for a substantial 59-run partnership, but the end of the
partnership spelt the end of the Australians’.
|
Twenty20 |
| SOUTH AFRICA |
4/201 |
(20 overs)
| Graeme Smith | 89 | (58) |
| Herschelle Gibbs | 56 | (34) |
| Michael Lewis | 2/31 | (4) |
| Shane Watson | 1/35 | (3) |
|
| AUSTRALIA |
7/199 |
(20 overs)
| Brett Lee | 43* | (21) |
| Brad Hogg | 41 | (25) |
| Andrew Hall | 3/22 | (4) |
| R Peterson | 2/29 | (3) |
|
@ the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
South Africa won by 2 runs |
19 runs were required from the final over for the Australians’, but Lee and left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken
could only muster 17.
Earlier, rain forced the start of play to be delayed by two hours, before Smith and newcomer Loots Bosman
got off to a flyer, smashing boundaries all over the place.
Economy specialist Mick Lewis then ended that partnership, clattering the wickets of Bosman for 23.
The joy was short-lived for the Australians’, with Smith combining with Herschelle Gibbs for a record
second-wicket partnership of 111 runs off 65 balls.
Gibbs was finally trapped plumb LBW by Lewis, ending his innings on 56 runs off 34 balls.
Smith went on to rack up his half-century, before striding back to the pavilion unbeaten on 89, and
gleaming with confidence.
• Have a view on this story? Send us your feedback!
| 
