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Australian captain Mitchell Marsh led from the front as his team beat South Africa by eight wickets at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday, September 1.
Chasing 165, Marsh smashed an unbeaten 79 runs off just 39 balls at a strike rate of 202.56, including six maximums and eight boundaries. He also shared a century partnership with Matthew Short for the second wicket.
Marsh’s carnage with the bat comes after he smashed an unbeaten 92 off 49 in the opening game against the Proteas. With his exploits with the bat, Australia have also taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The right-handed batter will now look to carry his blistering form in the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India, scheduled to be played from October 5 to November 19.
Fans on X (previously known as Twitter) lauded the Australian skipper for his sublime form. One user wrote:
"WC isn't far away."
Here are some of the other reactions:
The Perth-born cricketer, though, had a terrible season with the bat for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. He scored 97 runs in nine games at an average of 14.22, including a solitary half-century.
Mithell Marsh shines as Australia beat South Africa by eight wickets
A clinical bowling unit led by Nathan Ellis and Sean Abbott and Mitchell Marsh’s heroics with the bat helped Australia register an eight-wicket win over South Africa on Friday.
Batting first, South Africa scored 164/8 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of captain Aiden Markram’s 49 off 38. Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs also contributed 35 (17) and 20 (27), respectively. Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis starred with the ball, finishing with three wickets apiece, while Jason Behrendorff bagged two.
In response, Matthew Short smashed 66 off 30 balls, including four sixes and seven boundaries. Meanwhile, Marsh top scored with 79* (39). Lizaad Williams and Tabraiz Shamsi scalped one wicket apiece for the Proteas.
With the win, he also registered his first series as captain in his first-ever assignment.
Australia will next play a dead rubber against South Africa at the same venue on Sunday, September 3.
Click here to check out the full AUS vs SA 2nd T20I scorecard.
