| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
Cape Town: Ten previous bilateral One-Day International series between South Africa and Australia have yet to produce a clean sweep. South Africa finds itself within one win of a historic first as the teams lock horns in the fifth and final ODI at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday.
With its strongest available side and with back-up options, batting first and chasing – all this without AB de Villiers, the injured regular skipper – South Africa has lorded it over Australia in the first four matches, winning in a canter and ticking over like a well-oiled machine.
Its cause might have been helped by the fact that Australia has arrived without its first-choice bowling attack, but that must take nothing away from the manner in which Faf du Plessis’s men have acquitted themselves.
Right from the time Quinton de Kock unleashed that monstrous 178 in the first ODI in Centurion to make light of 294 for 9, South Africa has been a cut above Australia.
David Miller ruled out from the fourth ODI onwards with a groin strain. But Rilee Rossouw has filled the breach admirably, making half-centuries in the first two games while opening the batting and chipping in with an unbeaten 33 at No. 5 during a regulation chase in the fourth match in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
In a bid to give its bench a go, South Africa rested Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir for the fourth game, bringing in Kyle Abbott, Tabraiz Shamsi and Aaron Phangiso. Abbott, the right-arm paceman, wrecked Australia with 4 for 40 while Shamsi, the chinaman bowler, picked up 3 for 36 including the wickets of Steven Smith and Travis Head in three deliveries.
Apart from the third game where David Warner and Smith, the skipper, both smacked centuries, Australia’s batting has been below par.
With the bowling attack wearing an inexperienced look, it was the batsmen that were expected to bail the side out, but the lack of consistency has hurt the team badly, and brought things to such a pass that South Africa can realistically hope for a 5-0 sweep – Australia has never been whitewashed in a give-match bilateral ODI series before.
Teams from
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir.
Australia: Steven Smith (capt), George Bailey, Scott Boland, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Joe Mennie, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa.
Stats and trivia
South Africa have beaten Australia 4-1 before, in a series in Australia in 2009.
Australia have never lost all of the matches in a five-game ODI series.
Match facts
October 12, 2016 (day/night)
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)
