Australia in South Africa: 4th ODI: Preview

There's not much that Australia would want to change in their side after they lost the 3rd ODI agaist South Africa. They didn't do badly in the last game, All they now have to do is bowl a decent line and bat a little longer. Fergusson has been doing the mop-up job after the top order keeps falling. Only two more matches and what has been a fascinating summer that has been played between the two sides will come to an end.South Africa lead the series 2-1 and one more victory will seal it for them. Australia on the other hand will be looking to to finish 2-2 at the end of this game which could help a fitting finale at the wanderes. Not many would have forgotten, but for the record, SA and Australia, at the same ground, three years ago, rewrote one day international history.. The 438 run match from whcih South Africa came out champions..



First things first: Australia must win this game to keep alive their hopes of a series win and of regaining the No. 1 ODI ranking that began a couple of weeks ago in South African hands and has alternated through the series. After Australia's batsmen failed in Centurion and their bowlers struggled to do a containing job at Newlands, they need to find a satisfying balance in Port Elizabeth. Specifically, they need to find a fast bowler who can adequately support Mitchell Johnson and their top order must not again leave all the work up to the young No. 6 Callum Ferguson.

Team News
There is not much that South Africans would want to change.. van De Merwe proved his position in the team with three important wickets he picked bowling his left arm orthodox spin. Every single player in the team is doing well and Smith will be hoping they continue to do so. Not many teams around the world would want to change the winning combination and there is a least possibility that SA will do otherwise. The rest of the players in the squad might have to prepare themselves for another day of spectating.

South Africa squad Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Mark Boucher (wk), Roelof van der Merwe, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Johan Botha, Dale Steyn, Wayne Parnell, Makhaya Ntini.

Australia have added the Victorian Shane Harwood to their squad for this match, calling him over from the Rajasthan Royals' camp and he may edge out Ben Laughlin in the starting line-up. Harwood, 35, played Australia's two Twenty20 internationals late last month in South Africa before being sent home. Brett Lee and Stuart Clark will both be in South Africa when the match is played but neither will come into contention. Lee is training there with his IPL side and doesn't officially join the ODI squad until the series in the UAE, while Clark will have only just arrived. Clark will meet the squad in Johannesburg ahead of Friday's fifth and final one-day international.


Australia squad Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin (wk), Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Callum Ferguson, Marcus North, James Hopes, Cameron White, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Shane Harwood, Ben Laughlin.






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Kunal Janu