Is there a World Cup rivalry with more history than
South Africa and Australia? It’s challenging to refute. The other was the
original World Cup match, the 1999 Edgbaston semifinal, even though one wasn’t
in a World Cup. Even that game had come four days after an exciting match at
Headingley.
Eight years later, in the World Cup semifinal, the two
teams would once more square off. In all three of those matches, South Africa
was on the losing side of history. However, they had their comeuppance in a
well-known World Cup game played in Manchester four years prior.
South Africa, although having a terrible 2019 season
and missing the semi-finals, had a significant impact on how the tournament
turned out by defeating Australia in a nail-biting semifinal showdown that led
to the England-New Zealand final.
Fans salivate at the history, but the 2023 teams are
sick of seeing one another. In addition to the three T20Is played right before
the five-match ODI series in South Africa last month, this will be the sixth
one-day international between South Africa and Australia to be played in just
over a month. Due to the absence of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Steven Smith,
and Glenn Maxwell during that tour, Australia did not play their full hand. In
any case, South Africa rediscovered some unstoppable form in this series, which
they have taken over to the World Cup’s opening match, while Australia’s
struggles have persisted despite blowing a 2-0 series lead in the Highveld.
Including the World Cup opener in Chennai, they have lost six of their last
seven ODIs.
After scoring 428 runs against Sri Lanka, South
Africa’s hitters are in excellent form, with Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der
Dussen, and Aiden Markram all exploding for centuries. They used the similar
strategy against Australia, posting scores of 338, 416, and 315. Despite the
return of important players, Australia’s problems with the bat and the ball
have persisted. The middle order disintegrated in Chennai against India, going
from 110 for 2 to 199 all out, much as they had done frequently in South
Africa.
Both sides have no prior experience playing on the
Lucknow surface, but both are fully aware of the current issues surrounding the
re-laid strip and how it performed during the IPL this year.