In the 11th match of International Masters League played at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, Australia Masters defeated South Africa Masters in a one-sided manner by 137 runs. Batting first, Australia scored a huge score of 260/1* in 20 overs.
In response to which South Africa collapsed at 123 runs in 17 overs. Shane Watson’s (122 runs, 61 balls, 9 fours, 9 sixes) fiery innings laid the foundation of Australia’s victory.
Australia Masters’ innings: Shane Watson and Ferguson’s blast!
Australian batsmen thrashed South African bowlers.
Shane Watson (122 runs, 61 balls) and Callum Ferguson (85 runs, 43 balls) batted aggressively and took the team to a huge score of 260.
Ben Dunk (34 runs, 16 balls) also played a stormy innings in the end.
Australia’s top 5 scorers:
- Shane Watson – 122* (61 balls, 9 fours, 9 sixes)
- Callum Ferguson – 85 (43 balls, 11 fours, 4 sixes)
- Ben Dunk – 34* (16 balls, 2 fours, 3 sixes)
- Extras – 19 runs
- No other batsman came to bat.
Top 5 bowlers of South Africa:
- Vernon Philander – 4 overs, 47 runs, 0 wickets
- Garnet Kruger – 4 overs, 54 runs, 0 wickets
- Thandi Tshabalala – 4 overs, 46 runs, 0 wickets
- Ryan McLaren – 4 overs, 50 runs, 0 wickets
- Alviro Petersen – 4 overs, 54 runs, 1 wicket
South Africa Masters innings: Batting lineup collapses!
South Africa had a very bad start while chasing the mountain-like target of 261 runs. Henry Davids (1) was out in the very first over.
After this, Hashim Amla (30 runs, 19 balls) and Alviro Petersen (28 runs, 25 balls) tried their best but none of the batsmen could play a big innings. Australia’s bowlers performed brilliantly and restricted South Africa to just 123 runs.
South Africa’s top 5 scorers:
- Hashim Amla – 30 (19 balls, 7 fours)
- Alviro Petersen – 28 (25 balls, 1 four)
- Richard Levi – 22 (13 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)
- Jonty Rhodes – 16 (18 balls, 1 four)
- Vernon Philander – 9 (10 balls, 1 six)
Australia’s top 5 bowlers:
- Ben Laughlin – 4 overs, 18 runs, 3 wickets
- Xavier Doherty – 3 overs, 23 runs, 2 wickets
- Bryce McGain – 4 overs, 25 runs, 2 wickets
- Nathan Coulter-Nile – 2 overs, 17 runs, 1 wicket
- Nathan Reardon – 1 over, 4 runs, 1 wicket
Australia Masters moves towards the semi-finals!
With this spectacular victory, Australia Masters have further strengthened their position in the tournament. Shane Watson’s captaincy and all-round performance gave the team a one-sided victory.
In this match, Australia’s batsmen and bowlers showed tremendous coordination. After scoring a huge score of 260 runs, the bowlers bundled out South Africa for just 123 runs. Now all eyes will be on the semi-final matches.
Will Australia be able to maintain its momentum, or will South Africa make a strong comeback in the next match? What is your opinion, do tell us in the comments!
