Steyn, Du Plessis see Proteas home

A devastating spell of reverse swing from Steyn, and another big innings from Faf du Plessis help beat Australia in tri-series final

As is so often the way in professional sport, it was those who endured the most pointed barbs who had the last laugh as South Africa romped away with the tri-series trophy in Harare and an early psychological edge ahead of next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup.

Faf du Plessis, the undisputed player of the tournament, fittingly underpinned his team’s six-wicket win with more than nine overs to spare with an innings of 96 that ended just one ball before the winning runs were struck.

While he’s too much of a polished diplomat to say it, Du Plessis would have enjoyed putting his arch-rivals to the sword after he was goaded with a chorus of barking dog noises when the teams last locked horns in the Test arena in a fiery encounter in Cape Town.

He became the target of endless taunts and noted he had learned never to pick up the ball and return it to Australian fielders because they turned on him “like a pack of dogs”.

Yesterday, the Australians were sent home with their tails between their legs as Du Plessis – who survived a tough chance on 34 when Aaron Finch was unable to hold a fly ball running backwards from mid-off from the bowling of Mitchell Johnson in the 17th over.

It was a rare chance and a costly miss. Du Plessis was denied the honour of becoming the first batsman in ODI history to score four centuries in a single one-day series when, with scores level, he miscued a drive to mid-on in search of the boundary that would have carried him to the landmark and his team to victory.

But iust as they did in their first win over Australia in the tournament’s opening week, Du Plessis and his long-time friend now ODI skipper AB de Villiers ensured Australia’s bowling analysts will have work to do by carrying their team to victory with a fourth wicket stand of 91.

Perhaps they will need to study how Kane Richardson, who missed the final with a bout of gastroenteritis that compounded his already sore side, got the prolific South African No.3 to tread on his stumps as he seems suddenly immune to conventional methods of dismissal.

Or maybe they need to replicate the way in which Dale Steyn, who was also on the end of an angry verbal spray from Australian captain Michael Clarke on the tense final day of the Cape Town Test, can get the ball to reverse swing when it’s less than 15 overs old.

Steyn, who ultimately received an apology from Clarke who conceded he had overstepped the gamesmanship line, tore the heart from Australia’s batting with a couple of inspired spells and finished with 4-35 as Australia was reduced to 9-217 from their 50 overs.

South Africa’s supposedly regimented adherence to a game plan ensured they were happy to chase down a total – which ultimately proved below par – but it proved a sound strategy as they outbowled and outbatted their fierce foes. And it was the pace and reverse swing of Steyn, as noted by injured skipper Clarke who was tweeting from his couch in Sydney, that proved the difference with the ball as he accounted for four of Australia’s top seven batsmen. (Cricket Australia)