PERTH: Australia’s barren run in limited-overs cricket continued on Sunday as South Africa recorded a six-wicket victory in the first one-day international.
And the latest defeat was slammed by legendary former Baggy Green Shane Warne.
Speaking after Australia were bowled out for 152 in 38.1 overs in their first international at home since the infamous ball tampering incident during a test match in Cape Town in March, the spin king said the current climate in the Australia camp wanted to “make him vomit.”
He criticized Cricket Australia’s new “buzz words,” saying that they are nothing more than “verbal diarrhea.”
Photos of a number of slogans painted on the changing room walls at the team’s Perth training complex, including one saying “elite honesty”, were mocked on social media.
Warne said: “Forget all the words, forget the verbal diarrhea and all that sort of stuff. That’s just rubbish.
“Seriously, it makes you want to vomit. At the end of the day, cricket is a simple game and it’s a performance-based game.”
The defeat to South Africa is Australia’s seventh in a row and the Baggy Greens have now lost 17 of their past 19 ODI matches.
Chasing a measly 153 to win, South Africa openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks both missed out on half centuries before South Africa reached the target for the loss of just four wickets with more than 20 overs to spare.
Marcus Stoinis grabbed 3-16, but not before both South African openers had featured in a productive 94-run stand.
Fast bowlers Andile Phehlukwayo (3-33), Dale Steyn (2-18) and Lungi Ngidi (2-26) ran through Australia’s batting after South Africa captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to field.
“Exceptional with the ball and in the field, a very good day in the office,” du Plessis said about his team’s performance. “Brilliant to have Dale back. It’s good to have that x-factor in your bowling attack.
“I’d have liked us to be a little more clinical, (a victory by) maybe eight, nine wickets but we’ll take the win.”
Steyn did the early damage when he had Travis Head and D’Arcy Short dismissed in his second over while Phehlukwayo and Ngidi struck at regular intervals.
South Africa were clinical in the field with du Plessis taking a sharp two-handed catch in the slip to dismiss Short.
“Disappointed, didn’t play anywhere near our potential,” new Australia ODI captain Aaron Finch said.
“South Africa put us on the back foot early... we were a bit careless at times and were off the mark slightly.”
Spin king Shane Warne slams woeful Aussies after defeat to South Africa
Spin king Shane Warne slams woeful Aussies after defeat to South Africa
Barcelona blitz Athletic Bilbao 5-0 to book place in Super Cup Final
- In a breathtaking 16-minute spell, the Catalans turned uncertainty into complete control, racing into a four-goal lead before the interval
- Raphinha scores a brace with goals on either side of half-time
JEDDAH: It did not look like the easiest opening 20 minutes for Barcelona in Jeddah during their encounter with Athletic Bilbao. Yet in a breathtaking 16-minute spell, the Catalans turned uncertainty into complete control, racing into a four-goal lead before the interval.
More than 50,000 fans packed the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah to witness the spectacle, although the likes of Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal were rested, allowing opportunities for youngsters like Roony Bardghji and Fermin Lopez.
Lopez would emerge as one of the standout performers of the night. While his threat inside the box was evident, it was his creativity that truly shone in front of the Jeddawi crowd.
Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. A sweeping move from side to side ended with Raphinha finding Bardghji on the right, whose cutback was met by Lopez before being laid off for Ferran Torres to finish calmly for 1-0.
Just eight minutes later, an exquisite backheel from Pedri released Raphinha down the left flank once again, with his low cross this time finding López to double Barcelona’s advantage.
Lopez contributed to his third goal of the night minutes later, this time slipping Bardghji down the right. The Kuwaiti-born winger skipped past Adama Boiro before striking at goal, with Unai Simon mishandling the ball as it trickled over the line.
The Blaugrana showed no signs of slowing down. Raphina finally got on the scoresheet in emphatic fashion with a belter into the top corner in the 38th minute.
To the surprise of many, neither side made any changes at the break. That decision quickly proved costly for Bilbao, as Raphinha struck again early in the second half, once more exploiting space down the flanks to extend the lead to 5-0.
With the contest beyond reach, Athletic head coach Ernesto Valverde rang the changes, making five substitutions to give minutes to his squad.
Barcelona, meanwhile, eased off to conserve energy ahead of Sunday’s final. To the delight of the crowd, both Rashford and Yamal were introduced, with Yamal receiving a warm standing ovation upon his entrance in the 72nd minute.
The emphatic victory marks Barcelona’s second consecutive five-goal display in the Spanish Super Cup, following last year’s 5-2 triumph over Real Madrid in the final.
The second semi-final takes place on Thursday, as Real Madrid face Atlético Madrid, with the winner set to meet Barcelona in Sunday’s final.
