David Miller showed the kind of form he has displayed at domestic level © AFP
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Players/Officials: Jean-Paul Duminy | Jacques Kallis | David Miller | Graeme Smith
Matches: South Africa v Australia at Port Elizabeth
Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of South Africa
South Africa's batting underbelly hardened up, after unconvincing showings since their World Cup quarter-final in Dhaka in March. Like many middle orders in international cricket, South Africa's need a solid start to build on, rather than wreckage to piece together, and this time they got it.
Graeme Smith found form and Jacques Kallis served as his wonderfully astute assistant, who excelled in his own right to set South Africa on track. They formed the first of two century partnerships for the team, who had struggled to put on stands of significance in their three international matches of the season.
"I'm not too sure if it was a 300 wicket, probably a 250-par score but those partnerships built it up," Hashim Amla, who was visibly delighted with his first ODI win as captain, said. "This is the way we have played cricket over the last few years and it's taken us a while to get there. It's been a bit erratic at times." South Africa succumbed to a listless collapse in the first game on Wednesday but appear to have shaken off any residual rust.
Smith's performance, in particular, was welcome, after he looked awkward in his last three outings. With public pressure mounting and calls for his head, Amla said the team knew it was only a matter of time before Smith succeeded. "Everyone knows Graeme and the amount of work he pu [...]
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