Lungi Ngidi’s Five-Wicket Haul Powers South Africa to Crushing Win Over Australia in 2nd ODI

Ngidi joins an elite list of bowlers with multiple five-wicket hauls against Australia as South Africa seals a commanding 84-run victory in Mackay.

Mackay [Australia], August 23: South African pacer Lungi Ngidi produced a fiery spell of bowling on Friday, dismantling Australia with figures of 5/42 and steering the Proteas to a resounding 84-run win in the second ODI at Mackay. With this performance, Ngidi etched his name alongside legends like Trent Boult, Shane Bond, and Curtly Ambrose, who all boast multiple five-wicket hauls against the Aussies in ODI cricket.

Ngidi’s brilliance helped South Africa bowl Australia out for 193 runs while chasing a target of 278, continuing the Aussies’ worrying run of poor ODI form. This victory also marked South Africa’s fifth consecutive bilateral ODI series win over their arch-rivals.

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Ngidi’s Growing Legacy

With Friday’s spell, Ngidi now has 26 wickets in 11 ODIs against Australia, averaging just 16.96, with an impressive strike rate of 20.2 and economy rate of 5.03. His best figures remain 6/58, but this performance further cements him as one of the most dangerous bowlers Australia has had to face in recent years.

Ngidi struck early to remove Marnus Labuschagne for the second consecutive time in the series and then tore through the lower order, dismissing Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis in quick succession. For his devastating display, he was rightfully awarded the Player of the Match.

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Proteas’ Fightback with the Bat

Earlier, after choosing to bat first, South Africa endured early blows as Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton fell cheaply in the powerplay to Australia’s Xavier Bartlett. However, Matthew Breetzke (88 off 78 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (74 off 87) spearheaded a strong middle-order recovery.

Breetzke played a confident knock, peppered with eight fours and two sixes, stitching crucial partnerships with Tony de Zorzi and Stubbs. Unfortunately, he fell 12 runs short of a well-deserved century, miscuing a big shot off Nathan Ellis. Stubbs, meanwhile, displayed composure and grit, ensuring South Africa reached a competitive total of 277 in 49.1 overs.

For Australia, Adam Zampa (3/63) and Nathan Ellis (2/46) kept things in check, preventing the Proteas from crossing the 300-run mark.

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Australia’s Struggle Continues

Chasing 278, Australia faltered early. Travis Head mistimed a lofted shot off Nandre Burger in the third over, and captain Mitchell Marsh (18) failed to capitalize after being dropped once. Ngidi soon dismissed Labuschagne for just 1, leaving Australia reeling.

A fighting partnership of 67 runs between Josh Inglis (87 off 74 balls) and Cameron Green (35 off 54) briefly raised hopes, but once Green was dismissed by Senuran Muthusamy, the innings collapsed. Inglis played valiantly with ten boundaries and two sixes but ran out of partners as Ngidi and the Proteas cleaned up the lower order with precision.

In the end, Australia folded for 193 in 35.4 overs, conceding an emphatic defeat and leaving their ODI form under serious scrutiny ahead of the busy international calendar.

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Brief Scores:

• South Africa: 277 (Matthew Breetzke 88, Tristan Stubbs 74; Adam Zampa 3/63)
• Australia: 193 (Josh Inglis 87, Cameron Green 35; Lungi Ngidi 5/42)