South Africa win 3rd ODI by 25 runs, lead series 2-1!

Advantage South Africa in the current Aussie tour. With both sides winning one match each in the 5-match ODI series, South Africa once again beat Australia comfortably and convincingly int he third ODI to take 2-1 lead.

Batting first, Gibbs and Smith started slowly. Smith got out early, caught behind. The veteran Jacque Kallis and DeVilliers gave South Africa a comfortable position. From 50 for 2 in 14.2 overs, Kallis and DeVilliers started the recovery process.

As this is a crucial game for both the teams, nobody wanted to take chance. Both Kallis and DeVilliers added another 50 to their list. Kallis scored 70 while DeVilliers scored 80. They both added 114 runs for the 3rd wicket in 21.4 overs. Duminy (32 off 26 balls) and Morkel (29 off 25 balls) gave momentum in the final overs. Mark Boucher scored quick runs in the final overs--28 off 15 balls which helped SA to post 289 in 50 overs. South Africa added 91 runs in the last 56 balls. Micheal Johnson picked 4 wickets for Australia.

Australian start was not very convincing. Both Steyn and Parnell maintained a good line and length. This made scoring difficult and increased the required run rate.

Haddin (15 off 34), Clarke (35 off 49), Ponting (20 off 35) consumed lot of deliveries but could not score runs. The top three batsmen consumed 118 balls and scored just 70 runs.

Michael Hussey was unlucky go be given an inner edge as leg before. He scored just 1 run. Ferguson scored a good half-century which would definitely increse his confidence level.

Hopes scored another 50, but it did not help the cause. He was unbeaten on 63 and Geeves as 10 not out when Australia ended their innings at 264 for 7.

There was not big partnership as with SA's Kallis and DeVilliers. The 97-run parternship for the 6th wicket was too late for Australia. VD Merwe picked 3 wickets for 37 runs while Both and Duminy picked one each.

Score: (Toss won by SA)

South Africa 289 for 6 in 50 overs (Gibbs 26, Smith 8, Kallis 70, DeVilliers 80, Duminy 32, A Morkel 29, Boucher 28 not out, Merwe 6 not out, Extras--10 (lb 4, w 2, nb 4), Johnson 4 for 34, Bracken 1 for 58, Geeves 1 for 67, Hauritz 0 for 37, Hopes 0 for 64, Hussey 0 for 25) beat Australia 264 for 7 in 50 overs (Haddin 15, M Clarke 35, Ponting 20, D Hussey 20, M Hussey 1, Ferguson 63, Hopes 63 not out, Johnson 9, Geeves 10 not out, Extras--28 (b 5, lb 14, w 9), Steyn 0 for 44, Parnell 0 for 47, Kallis 0 for 19, A Morkel 0 for 33, Botha 1 for 59, Merwe 3 for 37, Duminy 1 for 6)

Player of the Match: Jacque Kallis of SA
Match Result: SA won by 25 runs
Series Result: SA lead 5 match series 2-1