Ajit Pawar No More: Maharashtra Loses a Key Political Leader in Plane Accident

 

Australia vs. South Africa in the second semifinal Australia defeated South Africa by three wickets in a thrilling semifinal match on Thursday, and they will now play Rohit Sharma and India for the Cricket World Cup trophy.

In a tight atmosphere inside Eden Gardens, Australia managed to win with 16 balls remaining after reducing South Africa to 212.

While host country India is vying for a third championship, Australia will be attempting to win the 50-over World Cup for a record-breaking sixth time.

This Sunday's championship match takes place in Ahmedabad.

In five World Cup semifinal appearances, South Africa has never prevailed.

Despite opener Travis Head's explosive 62, Australia lost five wickets in their chase of 213 to defeat South Africa in the World Cup semi-final. Head and 29-year-old David Warner got off to a fast start before South Africa fought back at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

After Head was dropped on 40 and 57, Aiden Markram bowled Warner and Kagiso Rabada returned Mitchell Marsh for a duck as Head attempted to continue batting.

But after Keshav Maharaj removed Head and fellow spinner Tabraiz Shamsi hit two consecutive balls in quick succession, Australia found themselves in danger at 137-5.

After lbw Marnus Labuschagne for eighteen runs, the left-arm wrist spinner bowled Glenn Maxwell for one in his subsequent over. 

Temba Bavuma led South Africa to an all-out total of 212 runs in the first innings in the Eden Garden in Kolkata, as Australian pacers dominated the match. David Miller struck a century and enabled his side to muster a respectable total in opposition to the highly skilled Australians. 

All-rounder Travis Head of Australia ended Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller's productive partnership with two wickets in a row. Gerald Coetzee, who recently hit his second half-century in the ICC World Cup 2023, has joined David Miller at the wicket as South Africa is once again under duress. 

After the rain delay, the match continues, and David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen will attempt to form a partnership going forward. After the rain break, Australian captain Pat Cummins brought in wicket-taking spinner Adam Zampa, and he hasn't stopped going after those big wickets.  

Rain delays the second semi-final in Kolkata's Eden Gardens between South Africa and Australia. Due to early wickets taken by Australian pacers Mitchell Strac and Josh Hazlewood, South Africa is not having a good start in the semi-final. 

Mitchell Strac and Josh Hazlewood of Australia are still dominating the pace game, and South Africa's best order is occupying the dugout. The new hitters on the crease, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, are attempting to form a relationship and provide stability to the team.

South Africa was placed under pressure early on by Australian pacers Mitchell Strac and Josh Hazlewood, who are having excellent success. They bowled Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock, the openers, for no wicket. The Proteas, captained by Temba Bavuma, are batting first at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens stadium. Who plays against the hosts India in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad on November 19 will be determined by the pivotal match of today.

After losing their opening two games of the season against South Africa and India, Australia pulled up an incredible comeback at the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. But in an incredible effort, the Australians won seven of their following seven games—some easily and others just by pure willpower of Maxwell against Afganistan to qualify for the Semi-final. 

Australia easily defeated Bangladesh's 307-run total in just 44 overs, which would have been a great relief for Kangaroo captain Pat Cummins. Following a disastrous batting display against Afghanistan, the Australians have bounced back with a heroic batting display spearheaded by Mitchell Marsh, positioning them for the tournament's second semi-final.

However, South Africa has shown a different side this World Cup, losing just twice in the competition thus far—once to the Netherlands and once to the host nation, India. Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma have set the tone for the innings, while middle-order batsman Rassie Van van Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, and David Miller have also contributed to the Proteas' daring style of cricket from the beginning. 

Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi lead a world-class Proteas bowling lineup. Others, like Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, and Keshav Maharaj, have been vital in the middle overs. 

Key Highlights

1. Temba Bavuma, the captain of South Africa, wins the toss and decides to bat first 

2. Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock went on strike in an effort to give South Africa a strong beginning.

3. Mithcell Starc spearheaded Australia's pace attack, taking one wicket in the opening over as he removed Temba Bavuma. 

4. In an effort to relieve some pressure, Quinton de Kock gifted Australian captain Pat Cummins an easy catch.

5. Mitchell Strac got rid of Aiden Markram to secure his second wicket of the day.

6. Josh Hazlewood took out Rassie van der Dussen, claiming another wicket.

7. Travis Head removed Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen to secure two consecutive wickets.

8. Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, was sacked Ernest Coetzee 

9. Aiden Markram makes a nice delivery, beating David Warner on the outside edge as he struggles to track the ball's trajectory. It strikes the off stump.

10. Keshav Maharaj throws a strike, throwing outside of the strike zone. Travis Head attempts a drive with his front foot but fails, the ball finds its way through, and Travis Head is bowled.

11. LBW. With good length and line. In an attempt to play a reverse sweep, Labuschagne shifts to his front foot but is struck on the pad. Labuschagne signals for a review after Umpire Kettleborough calls an LBW on him. Labuschagne must go as DRS has made the umpire's call.

12. Pitch on leg and angle across, that's Yorker. The ball smashes into the stumps as Inglis pushes ahead and inside edges. For the second time in the game, Coetzee scores. 

Travis Head | Most Valuable Player: Unpacking everything is difficult. Amazing game, tense ending. stayed seated the entire last section. We had three or four days here, and we knew how it was going to work. We realized we had to fight because we hadn't seen such spin. After the hand injury, I didn't think I would be here, but it's good to be here and delighted to help Australia. As they arrived, straight (Klaasen dismissal). It felt good to get Klaasen's wicket even though he had slapped me and was clearly under pressure. I was eager to contribute with the ball and ready to bowl a couple overs. To maintain the momentum, we have adopted that upbeat attitude. I was disappointed with how I exited the game because I was expecting to face a left-arm spinner in Maharaj, but it didn't work out. India has been one of the strongest teams in the competition, and their bowlers appear extremely good. It would be unimaginable to play them in the World Cup final.

Was Rabada feeling a bit numb? He wasn't quite fit, as evidenced by the fact that he didn't bowl toward the conclusion. South Africa will be haunted by a number of issues after this game. First off, their bat application was lacking a little bit. Then, with a tiny total under attack, there were a number of half opportunities that they had to just hang onto. 

Australia's fortunes were ruined by Jansen and Rabada's unpardonably careless start, when they gave up too many additional runs and too many runs. Can you imagine if Bavuma had included spin earlier? What if Rabada had perfect health? What if de Kock had managed to hang onto that last-minute nick off Cummins? Unfortunately, that's how their campaign will conclude, no matter how amazing it has been. What if?

However, Josh Inglis made his debut at that point and likely played the most significant knock of his career. Smith was at the other end, and he batted superbly with him to forge an important partnership. They absorbed all the pressure from the spinners and played with patience, exhibiting excellent technique.

Gerald Coetzee delivered two consecutive blows to give the Australians cause for concern just as it appeared that they would easily win the match. Despite the intense heat and bowling eight consecutive overs, Coetzee found the bravery and stamina to dismiss Smith and then Inglis. However, Australia's captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc persevered until the very end to lead their country home and to their eighth World Cup final.

Temba Bavuma, captain of South Africa: It's difficult to express, but let me start by congratulating Australia. I hope they have success in the final. They had a great performance today. Today, our character was evident. We displayed great resiliency. We lost the game because of the manner we began the game with the bat and the ball. They really put us under pressure with the way they attacked and the conditions. When you're 24/4, it will always be difficult for you to score a competitive total. When Miller and Klaasen were outside, we were starting to pick up steam, but sadly, Klaasen was unable to continue a little bit longer. Miller's outstanding innings truly showcased the team's character; it was remarkable  to do that in such a pressure situation and in a World Cup semi-final.

The fact that they scored roughly 70 points in the first ten games definitely helped the other guys settle in. Maharaj and Markram were outstanding and put a lot of pressure on them. It might have been very close if we had held onto the hard chances that we missed. When he was younger, Coetzee truly was our fighter. At the time, not much was happening for seamers, so it was amazing when he came around the wicket and got Smith. Despite his cramps, he was determined to continue bowling. Even with the outcome, I believe Quinton will always cherish his time, even though he would have preferred to conclude his career on a different note. His legacy will be as one of the legends in the South African cricket.

Please also remember Quinton de Kock, as that marks the conclusion of his ODI career. The ODI chapter of his career finishes, and it's been an incredible journey. He will be remembered as one of the best performers in ODI cricket history, not just for South Africa but for all of cricket, with 155 games, 6770 runs at an average of 45.74, and 21 hundreds. Though it's not precisely the conclusion he had dreamed for, he can still retire feeling satisfied because it's been an incredible career. 

Pat Cummins, captain of Australia: Compared to sitting in the dugout, I believe it was easier to be outside. It was an anxious couple of hours, but the outcome was satisfactory. I didn't think Starc and Hazlewood would bowl that early. We weren't too disappointed about bowling first because we knew it would spin later on, even though there was some cloud cover. We talk a lot about how well we fielded today, even though it wasn't perfect at the beginning of the competition. in particular Warner, who is 37. In the middle overs, Travis Head was the guy to grab that vital wicket. Against two excellent spinners, Inglis seemed completely in control as he played that superbly. A handful of us have been in finals before, along with a few other guys in a T20 World Cup final. The stadium will be full, and the match will primarily be one-sided, but it's important to accept that. We are all thrilled to be participating in another final in India as a team; the 2015 World Cup was a career high point.

If you haven't already, put November 19th on your calendars: India vs. Australia in Ahmedabad, the 2023 Cricket World Cup final. Our finalists, who have emerged victorious from 47 games, are the two strongest teams in the competition. It promises to be a spectacular encounter, as Australia has won their last eight games while India is riding a 10-game winning streak. You definitely got your money's worth if you were visiting the Eden Gardens today. This will rank among the greatest matches between these two teams, especially during the World Cup semifinals. Regretfully, South Africa finds itself on the losing end of it for the third time.Even though the inevitable pain will accompany them, they can return with a sense of fulfillment because they gave it their all. That's all we have to say. Bringing all the activity to you was an incredible pleasure, and we sincerely hope you enjoyed yourself. In the meanwhile, this is Anurag Hegde signing off on behalf of Akshay Maanay, Nikhil Jd, and V Harish. We'll see you back here for the final on the 19th. Goodbye and be careful.