Warner pyrotechnics help Australia overwhelm South Africa by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Event:

South Africa in Australia 2008/09

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DateLine: 11th January 2009

 

Australia won the first Twenty20 match of the series by 52 runs. South Africa were blown away first by the new kid on the block Warner and then the bowlers stuck to their task diligently to dismiss South Africa for 130. Duminy tried to get the chase on rails but after he fell the rest was just a formality.

 

David Warner made one of the most memorable international debuts as he lit up the MCG to set up Australia's total of 9 for 182. There were minor contributions from the other batsmen but Warner was the star of the evening as he played some audacious shots on his way to 89 of 43 balls which contained seven fours and mind boggling six sixers each better than the rest. Warner had already created history by simply playing the match; he was the first man to debut for Australia in any format without first-class experience and this innings must have pleased Delhi Daredevils, who signed Warner last month.

 

Warner raced to his half-century from 19 deliveries and it was the second-fastest in Twenty20 internationals, behind the brutal 12-ball effort of Yuvraj Singh which was compiled in ICC Twenty20 World Cup. The previous quickest for Australia was a comparatively unhurried 25-ball display from Andrew Symonds two years ago.

 

South Africa's bowlers simply didn't know where to bowl to Warner. His innings featured six sixes, including a paddle over fine-leg off Dale Steyn and another over midwicket off the same bowler. When the fast men tried to force him to play through the off side he demonstrated equal proficiency there. He also demonstrated his cricket brain by driving twos regularly when the field was back. His breathtaking effort finally came to a close when he skied a catch to de Villiers off Makhaya Ntini near the square leg boundary. In the end South Africa did well to keep Australia relatively quiet following Warner's departure.

 

Ntini and Albie Morkel chipped in for two wickets each before Steyn finished things off with 3 for 38. The leading scorer besides Warner was Ricky Ponting, whose 21 took 19 deliveries.

 

South Africa in reply lost Gibbs to the third ball of the innings to Bracken, who was making a comeback after an injury lay-off. Tait was the other bowler to share the new-ball, and he immediately touched the 150 mark, hustling the batsman with his pace and bounce. He even found the extra pace to hit de Villiers on his thigh and got him to hit his own stumps. Kallis and van Jaarsveld departed without doing much the new South African hero Duminy held fort.

 

While Duminy was in the crease South Africa scented an out side chance of pulling the rug from under the feet of Australia. His knock was laced with some beautifully timed boundaries on both side of the wicket and an audacious six off, Tait straight over the head of the keeper. Tait bowled quick at 150 kmh on middle stump, Duminy moved across his stumps, got under the bounce and scooped it over the wicketkeeper's head for six and looked like he would once again be the hero at the MCG. With the wickets tumbling at the other he upped the ante and as a part of upping his ante, he got dismissed. He tried to go for a reverse sweep to a quicker ball from Hussey and was trapped plumb before the stumps and with his dismissal the South African challenge also ended. Hussey finished with three wickets, Bracken, Tait and Hilfenhaus chipped in with two wickets while Hopes got one wicket.