During the third ODI in Port Alfred, Proteas player Tony de Zorzi sustained a hamstring strain in the match against Australia. This incident marks another instance of the 'hamstring curse' for Proteas.
De Zorzi was forced to leave the field during Australia's third ODI in Port Alfred on Wednesday. He has been ruled out for the remainder of this match and is now in doubt for participation in the upcoming three-match Test series against the Australian team.
The visiting team demonstrated significantly stronger batting. Proteas captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat first for Australia after a 30-minute delay caused by wet pitch conditions. Australian captain Mitchell Marsh effectively utilized the initial phase, scoring his 50 runs in just 33 balls, which helped his team reach 82/1.
The first player dismissed was Travis Head, who scored 24 runs off 20 balls, followed by Marsh, whose review was unsuccessful. Australia's momentum was further disrupted when Cooper Connolly was dismissed, leaving the visitors at 118/3 in the eighteenth over.
The game then proceeded along a familiar script: Proteas spinners continued to apply pressure. However, a solid partnership of 73 runs for 84 balls between young Oliver Pike (48) and Alex Carey allowed Australia to maintain momentum. An additional partnership of 66 runs between Carey and Matt Renshaw (30) further solidified Australia's position.
Nevertheless, thanks to consistent bowling from Corbin Bosch (4/60), including a crucial delivery to Carey for 74 runs (88 balls, 4 overs, 2 maidens), the Australians managed to cross the 300-run mark. Following this, Mitchell Starc added fresh impetus to the game with several powerful shots.
