After South Africa’s emphatic win in the opening ODI, the action now shifts to Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, where the remaining two ODIs of the series will be played on 22nd and 24th August. With the visitors leading 1-0, Australia will be desperate to bounce back, while South Africa will aim to seal the series with another strong performance.
Probable Playing XIs
Australia: Mitch Marsh (c), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Aaron Hardie, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Prenelan Subrayen, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi
Injury Update
. Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of the ODI series due to inflammation in his right ankle.
. Kwena Maphaka has been drafted into the squad as his replacement.
1st ODI Recap
South Africa’s win in the first ODI was set up by Keshav Maharaj, who delivered a match-winning spell of 5/33 in 10 overs. His brilliance derailed Australia’s promising start and handed the Proteas a comfortable victory, giving them a 1-0 series lead.
Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay: Pitch Report & Conditions
Australia have deliberately chosen lesser-known venues for this series, and Mackay is no exception. The last men’s ODI here dates back to 1992 (India vs Sri Lanka), which was abandoned due to rain, meaning there is very little historical ODI data to rely on. However, recent women’s internationals and Australia A matches offer some insights:
In 2021, Australia and India played three Women’s ODIs at Mackay — all won by the chasing side.
Average first-innings score: 254
Highest total: 275/5 by Australia
Pacers: 25 wickets @ 34.40, Econ 5.21
Spinners: 9 wickets @ 71.11, Econ 5.09
In a four-day match (Australia A vs India A, 2022), seamers thrived early.
Brendan Doggett (6/15) and Mukesh Kumar (6/46) made the ball talk.
The surface later eased out for batting, with Sai Sudharsan (103) and Devdutt Padikkal (88) scoring freely.
Australia A successfully chased down 226, thanks to Nathan McSweeney (88)* and Beau Webster (61)*.
Key Takeaways:
Expect seam-friendly conditions early on, Once the surface settles, batting becomes easier and stroke-play can flourish.
The ground dimensions are slightly shorter, meaning six-hitting opportunities will be plenty.
Given the history of teams chasing successfully, the toss-winning captain is likely to bowl first.
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