Ricky Ponting’s men have been unable to win back the one-day international ranking but he believes they can still finish the tour on a high. South Africa claimed the series with a 61-run win in Port Elizabeth on Monday in the 4th ODI and in doing so confirmed their position at the top of the rankings table.

But Australia can make the scoreline a little less lopsided and will fly out with a 3-2 loss if they fight back to win the final ODI in Johannesburg on Friday. It will require a turnaround in form after South Africa’s strong performances but Australia are keen to regain some momentum before heading to the UAE to take on Pakistan.

“We weren’t able to do well this time, and the South Africans outplayed us in the last three games in all facets of the game, so they deserve to be where they are,” Ponting said after the Port Elizabeth loss. “We’d like to finish the tour on a high, so hopefully there’ll be a bit of character in the team when the guys pitch up on Friday.”

Ponting took a risk by sending South Africa in on Monday but the bowlers struggled to make inroads into the top order. Herschelle Gibbs’ 21st ODI century and an attacking 84 from AB de Villiers left Australia chasing 318 and despite a promising opening stand between Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke Australia fell well short.

“Herschelle obviously played beautifully, he played a sensational innings,” Ponting said. “I thought De Villiers was also outstanding. We needed someone at the top to go on and make a big hundred, but we didn’t really have that.”

Tags: 4th ODI, Australia, Brad haddin, De Villers, Hershchelle Gibbs, Michael Clarke, pakistan, Ricky Ponting, South Africa, South Africa Vs Australia

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South Africa beat Australia by 61 runs at St George’s Park in the fourth one-day international on Monday to claim an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

South Africa innings
G. Smith c Haddin b Hopes                           20
H. Gibbs c Clarke b Bracken                        110
J. Kallis c Ferguson b Harwood                   17
AB. de Villiers c Ferguson b Johnson       84
A. Morkel b Johnson                                          4
M. Boucher not out                                           29
JP. Duminy c M. Hussey b Harwood         40
Extras (lb-7, w-6)                                               13
Total (six wickets; 50 overs)            317

Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-87, 3-223, 4-240, 5-252, 6-317

Did not bat: R. van der Merwe, J. Botha, D.Steyn, W.Parnell.

Bowling: Bracken 10-0-64-1 (1w), Johnson 10-0-59-2 (3w), Hopes 10-0-57-1, Harwood 10-0-57-2 (2w), Hauritz 7-0-51-0, Clarke 3-0-22-0.

Australia innings
B. Haddin c Parnell b Botha                      78
M. Clarke b Van der Merwe                       50
R. Ponting c Morkel b Steyn                      53
C. Ferguson st Boucher b Merwe               3
M. Hussey lbw b Van der Merwe               2
D. Hussey c & b Steyn                                  20
J. Hopes c Gibbs b Parnell                          31
M. Johnson b Morkel                                      5
N. Hauritz b Steyn                                            3
N. Bracken not out                                           0
S. Harwood b Steyn                                         0
Extras (lb-4, w-7)                         11
Total (all out; 45.5 overs)              256

Fall of wickets: 1-129, 2-137, 3-145, 4-151, 5-188, 6-226, 7-245, 8-255, 9-256, 10-256

Bowling: Steyn 7.5-1-44-4, Parnell 9-0-64-1, Kallis 4-0-25-0, Morkel 5-0-25-1, Botha 10-0-48-1, Van der Merwe 10-0-46-3.

Result: South Africa won by 61 runs

Series: South Africa hold an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series

Man of the match: H.Gibbs (South Africa)

Tags: Australia, Hershchelle Gibbs, Ricky Ponting, South Africa, South Africa Vs Australia

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Jacques Kallis and De Villiers shared a century partnership to set up a comfortable 25-run win for South Africa in the third One-Day International against Australia at Newlands on Thursday.

Kallis (70) and De Villiers (80) laid the foundation for a South African total of 289-6, putting on 114 off 131 balls for the third wicket.

Australia made a reasonable start, reaching 66 for one before their innings stalled against the slow bowling of Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe.

They slumped to 114 for five and were effectively out of the game with less than 20 overs remaining.

But Callum Ferguson (63) and James Hopes (63 not out) gave their innings respectability with a sixth wicket stand of 97 before Australia finished with 264 for seven.

The win gave South Africa a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, which continues in Port Elizabeth on Monday.

Tags: Australia, South Africa, South Africa Vs Australia

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South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has recovered from the injury and is likely to return for the five-match one-day series against Australia, starting in Durban on Friday.

Smith had sustained a fracture to the little finger of his right hand when he was struck by a delivery from Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson during the second Test in Durban, earlier this month.

The injury forced Smith to miss the third Test in Cape Town and the two Twenty20 Internationals, which followed.

The Proteas are also battling other injury worries with experienced all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who picked up a groin injury during the third Test, is uncertain to return for the first one-dayer.

”We’ll just have to assess him when he gets to Durban early this week,” Owen-Smith said.

The South Africans have called up rookie all-rounder Van der Merwe, who is expected to play in the first two one-dayers if Kallis fails to recover on time.

Tags: Australian Cricketer, Durban, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Merwe, Mitchell Johnson, South Africa, South Africa Vs Australia

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Roelof van der Merwe and captain Johan Botha took South Africa to a series-clinching 17-run win in the second Twenty20 International against Australia at Centurion Park on Sunday.

Van der Merwe hit 48 off 30 balls as South Africa struggled to 156 for five after being sent in. Then Botha produced a miserly spell of off-spin bowling, taking two for 16 in four overs, as Australia were restricted to 139 for eight.

Van der Merwe, selected mainly as a slow left-arm bowler, was surprisingly sent in at number five and initially he struggled to find his timing.

But he chanced his arm and slammed four sixes and two fours, with two sixes and both fours coming in one over from Nathan Bracken, usually one of the world’s most economical bowlers in limited overs cricket.

The Australian bowlers varied their pace and lengths skillfully and the South African batsmen were unable to maintain a consistently quick scoring rate.

Australia made a good start, with Michael Clarke and David Warner putting on 37 for the first wicket.

But Warner was bowled by Albie Morkel and one run later Australian captain Ricky Ponting was caught behind off left-arm pace bowler Yusuf Abdulla, a second new player in the South African line-up.

Clarke and David Hussey put on 25 for the third wicket before the game changed dramatically when Clarke was bowled by Botha and Callum Ferguson was run out first ball.

Botha’s teasing spin prevented the Australians from recovering their momentum and wickets fell as the batsmen went for big shots.

David Hussey followed up his 88 not out in the first match with 27 and threatened to swing the game Australia’s way when he hit Van der Merwe for six and four off successive balls in the 15th over, only to be caught at mid-off off the next delivery.

South Africa made four changes from the side that won the first match in Johannesburg by four wickets on Friday. “The new players have shown they can play at international level and have given the selectors a nice headache,” said Botha about the challenge of selecting a side for the World Twenty20 in England in June.

“Our bowling was pretty good,” said Ponting. “But you need batting partnerships and that’s where we fell short.”

Tags: Australia, Centurion Park, Johan Botha, Merwe, Michael Clarke, Natham Bracken, Ricky Ponting, South Africa, South Africa Vs Australia, T20 International

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