An emerging Cricket Australia XI has consigned a second-string South African side to a tour-opening T20 loss in Sydney.
The Proteas were hoping for a strong showing to gain early momentum ahead of three T20 internationals against Australia this week followed by five one-day encounters this month and ultimately the ODI World Cup in February and March.
Instead, the tourists struggled without many of their holidaying stars as the Cricket Australia XI secured a 22-run win at North Sydney Oval.
First-time national captain JP Duminy was South Africa’s only Test and one-day regular playing on Sunday, but only managed eight runs as the Proteas were dismissed for 167 chasing 190 for victory.
It was the Cricket Australia XI’s captain, West Australian all-rounder Ashton Turner, who stole the show.
Turner blasted 73 off 45 balls before putting the breaks on South Africa’s run chase with two key wickets in three balls in a game-changing three-over spell.
The off-spinner pinned South Africa’s top-scorer Rilee Rossouw LBW for 47 while trying to reverse sweep before having David Miller caught at point for a duck.
The double breakthrough left the Proteas reeling at 4-78 and needing almost two runs a ball off their last 10 overs.
They didn’t look like getting close until World Cup hopefuls Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell shared a dangerous 42-run partnership to dramatically improve the Proteas’ equation.
But their hopes were dashed when McLaren (26 off 17) fell to Timm Van der Gugten and then Parnell, who hammered 35 off just 12 balls, holed out in the deep off the bowling of Ben Ashkenazi, who also had Kagiso Rabada last man out for a duck.
While the quicks completed the kill, Turner’s fellow spinner James Muirhead also grabbed the attention of national selectors with 3-25 from his four overs.
Duminy was Muirhead’s most prized scalp, the skipper caught on the rope, while he also dismissed opener Reeza Hendricks (22 off 17) and Farhaan Behardien (10 off seven).
Earlier, after losing the toss and being sent in to bat, Turner’s young side took advantage of the short boundaries at the picturesque ground to amass 5-189 from their 20 overs.
Apart from the skipper’s three sixes and seven fours, opener James Pierson belted one delivery over mid-wicket and into the barbecue stand, while Sebastian Gotch monstered a straight drive right out of the ground.
Gotch, a one-time Greater Western Sydney development player before giving up his AFL dream for cricket, crunched 40 off 25 balls in an entertaining 88-run fourth-wicket stand with Turner.
Kyle Abbott was the best of South Africa’s bowlers, claiming 2-22 with the paceman on a hat-trick in his fourth and final over after removing Turner’s leg stump and then bowling James Bazley for a duck.
But celebrating his 18th birthday, exciting prospect Jake Doran denied Abbott before hooking him for four in a two-ball cameo.
AAP djw/nh
