South Africa and Australia face each other in the second match of their ongoing five-match ODI series. Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein will host this clash on Saturday September 9th.

South Africa and Australia will meet in the 2nd ODI on September 9th. The match will be played at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein.

After leading the Aussies to a 3-0 win in the T20I series, Mitchell Marsh showed his form as a skipper in the ODIs too. On Thursday, September 7, the visitors beat the Proteas by three wickets.

But Australia had to fight hard to secure victory. Their bowlers did an excellent job as South Africa scored 222 in 49 overs. With the exception of Temba Bavuma, who scored an unbeaten 114 from 142 balls, none of the home team's batsmen were able to improve.

Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the bowlers as he got three crucial wickets of David Miller, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi.

Australia found themselves in all sorts of trouble in their run chase after being reduced to 225 in 40.2 overs. But Marnus Labuschagne and Ashton Agar produced an unbeaten 112-run partnership to take the Aussies over the finish line. Labuschagne remained not out with eight fours in 80 off 93 balls.

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South Africa

South Africa was expected to put up a stronger performance in the ODI series after losing in the T20I. However, they started off on the wrong foot. Captain Temba Bavuma carried the bat and scored a wonderful knock of 114* in 142 balls. Unfortunately, apart from Marco Jansen (32 off 40 balls), with whom he shared a 57-run stand for the sixth wicket, Bavuma didn't receive much support from the other end. Ultimately, South Africa were bowled out with a below-par score of 222.

Chasing a modest but challenging target on a difficult pitch, Australia found themselves in a precarious position with seven wickets down and around 100 runs still needed. Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi dismantled the top batters with their fiery opening spells. However, as the ball got older, the wicket became easier to beat and Ashton Agar and Marnus Labuschagne took the team home.

It goes without saying that this pace trio will continue to make life difficult for Australia in the next game, especially when the ball is new.

Bavuma has been consistent for some time now and we expect another solid performance from him in the next ODI. Aiden Markram (459 runs from the last 9 games at an average of 57.38 and a strike rate of 112) is also expected to do well in this match. He failed in the first ODI but Markram is technically adept enough to compete on these pitches.

South Africa will also be looking for some handy runs from Marco Jansen, who has proven he is more than capable with the bat.

Australia

Marnus Labuschagne's reaction to being left out of Australia's World Cup squad and starting XI in the first ODI in Bloemfontein was nothing short of spectacular. Acting as a replacement for the injured Cameron Green, who had been hit by a rebound from Kagiso Rabada in the sixth over, Labuschagne entered the field with Australia in a precarious position at 72 for 5, chasing a target of 223. However Labuschagne Along with Ashton Agar, he pulled off an impressive turnaround, forging an unbroken 112-run partnership in 145 deliveries - a new record for the eighth wicket in Bloemfontein - and securing a convincing win.

Now it would be interesting to see if Australia selects Labuschagne in the next ODI after this incredible performance.
Travis Head was doing well with his 33 off 28 balls before he was dismissed by Ngidi. Head has been Australia's in-form batsman, amassing 362 runs in his last seven games at an average of 60.33 and a strike rate of 115. So it would be wise to back him for this game.

Skipper Mitchell Marsh (291 runs in the last 6 games at an average of 58.2 and a strike rate of 122) will look to make up for his failure in the first ODI. The all-rounder had a great summer and timed the ball really well.

Australia's bowling was on point in the first ODI, with Josh Hazlewood the standout performer, reaching figures of 3-41. Sean Abbott, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa all did a good job of containment. On this pitch, the South African batsmen would once again have to be wary of Hazlewood and Abbott.

Pitch Report

The Mangaung Oval is a batting-friendly surface and should once again be there to support the batsmen. Pacers could get some help in the second half of the game while spinners will be useful in the middle overs.

Weather Report

There is no chance of rain for the time being in Bloemfontein. Temperatures will be around the 29-degree Celsius mark.

Toss Prediction

The captain who wins the toss will want to bat first and put runs on the board as the pitch is not that easy to bat on.

Head to Head

South Africa have a good head-to-head record against Australia but the current series has been tough for them.

Venue Details

The average score batting first at Mangaung Oval is 246. This is not a high scoring venue as evidenced by the last game, so the team batting first should look to set a target of around 270 runs set. The average runs per over at this venue is 5.10.

Match Prediction

Australia goes into the game as clear favorites. Having won all four games on the tour, the visitors will have great confidence.

Prediction: Australia will win the game.

Betting Tips

We want to give South Africa a chance, but this should have been a win for the home team. Australia are playing too strong at the moment as they have still found a way to win despite a poor batting performance from their top and middle order. Without Bavuma's 114 runs it would have been over very quickly.

The odds for Australia are still pretty good and it's a much safer bet at the moment. The form of this Australian team is too good and it looks like they will continue.

Bet on Australia to win.

Probable Playing XI

South Africa

Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

Australia

David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (C), Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

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South Africa Key Players

Aiden Markram - Markram played a few crisp shots in the first ODI before being dismissed. Markram is a talented batsman and he needs to find form for South Africa to return to the series.

Temba Bavuma – Bavuma was at his best in the first ODI and scored one of his best centuries. He single-handedly led South Africa to a respectable record on a difficult field to beat.

Kagiso Rabada – Rabada was at his best in the first ODI, taking two wickets for 48 runs. He will expect a similar show in the next game.

Australia Key Players

Mitchell Marsh – Marsh was in top form in the T20I series but failed in the first ODI. He will be key to Australia's success in the following games.

Travis Head – On a difficult pitch you need technically sound players and Travis Head has all his bases covered. He is good against pace and spinners so we expect him to do well in the next game.

Josh Hazlewood – Hazlewood took three wickets in the last game. He will be a threat on the wicket given his ability to bowl at stumps. The variable bounce will help him get more wickets.