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As it Happened---Australia vs South Africa, 2nd T20 at Melbourne
Highlights from the 2nd T20 match between Australia and South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne on Friday.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: November 07, 2014 06:14 PM IST
Read Time: 1 min
![As it Happened---Australia vs South Africa, 2nd T20 at Melbourne](https://s.ndtvimg.com/images/content/2014/nov/806/cameron-white-aaron-finch.jpg)
White (L) and Finch celebrate Australia's win vs South Africa on Friday.© AFP
Australia's cricketers had no shortage of ideas as they beat South Africa in the 2nd T20. Catch all the Highlights: (SCORECARD)
Australia beat South Africa by 7 wickets to level the series 1-1.
The Proteas pacemen were magnificent in the final stages of Australia's innings at Adelaide Oval, yorking the likes of James Faulkner regularly to deny the allrounder boundaries.
The hosts were restricted to a sub-par total of 6-144 on Wednesday night, setting the stage for South Africa to claim an emphatic seven-wicket win.
The Australians are likely to require a better score at the MCG on Friday night if they hope to square the three-game T20 series.
Topics mentioned in this article
Australia Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Live Cricket Score
Cricket
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Live Score - Australia vs South Africa updates
The Man of the Match award goes to Cameron Boyce for his outstanding leg spin bowling today. The series is levelled now at 1-1 and the final game is on Sunday, November 9th. The match begins at 1935 local time. Do join us for all the coverage. Till then, have a good weekend, goodbye!
The chase was pretty easy for the hosts and they started well. Finch contributed handily and stuck till the end to see his team through. Watson came in and provided a lovely cameo storming the team close to the target in no time. The South Africans could do little but wait for the inevitable. This is Australia's quickest win over South Africa with regards to balls remaining.
Australia have returned the favour to South Africa. They were thumped by the Proteas in the first game but the exact reverse happened today. The Aussie bowlers strangled the South African batsmen and restricted them to just 101/7 in the 20 overs. All their bowlers bowled brilliantly.
There is the winning run! Short into the body, White turns and pulls but off the top edge, wide of square leg for the required single. AUSTRALIA WIN BY 7 WICKETS!
Length on middle and leg, White looks to drop the ball to the leg side but gets an outside edge towards point.
Back of a length around off, Finch goes back and punches to mid off. Finch calls for the single and makes it easily, the throw is wide of the stumps too.
Tight length delivery on off, Finch goes back and across and defends with a straight bat.
Pitched up outside off, Finch leans forward to drive but gets more of an outside edge down to third man for a single.
Cameron White is the new man in for Australia.
OUT! Duck for Glenn Maxwell! He looks to send the ball into the cheering crowd with a wild swipe. The ball takes the outside half of his bat and goes very high in the air towards point. Rossouw gets under the ball, judges it to perfection and takes a good catch. Maxwell was specially called up for this game for his batting services but goes for a duck.
Good stop at mid off by the Protea skipper! Length outside off, Finch slaps the ball hard past Rabada and Duminy moves to his right and stops the ball with a dive. A single is taken.
Tight length delivery on off stump, defended neatly from within the crease to the off side.
Length delivery on the pads, Finch gets an inside edge on to his pads and the ball rolls away to square leg. He gets back for the second.
FOUR! Top edge! Banged in short around Finch's head. He takes his front leg up and looks to pull the ball down but gets a top edge that takes the ball thudding into the fine leg fence.
Good length delivery on middle and off, Maxwell defends with an angled bat to cover. This is a wicket maiden by Parnell.
Glenn Maxwell walks out to the centre.
OUT! Watson had been trying to find the fence for a while and tries too hard, finding the mid off fielder this time. Fullish and just outside off, Watson leans forward and looks to drive wide of mid off. He doesn't get what he desires and the ball is caught by Abbott who keeps his hands to his left. The ball was going away from him but he does well to get his giant palms behind the ball.
A good short one on off, Watson rocks back to pull hard but doesn't get any bat on the ball.
Fullish on off stump, Watson looks to thwart the ball down the ground but drags it to mid on. He hits it too hard and thus can't get the single.
Banged in short on off, Watson flexes his knees and sways away from the ball.
Full on middle and off, Watson flicks with good timing but can't get the ball past mid-wicket.
Short of a length on off, rises a bit this time and Finch goes off his toes to fend the ball down towards cover.
Length delivery on middle, Finch gets squared up as the ball holds up on the surface. He gets a leading edge and the ball lobs away to mid on.
Length delivery on the pads, Watson gets an inside edge on to his pads and runs away to the square leg region for a single.
FOUR! Lands just inside the fence! Pitched up on middle, Watson presses forward and flicks over mid on. The ball lands inches inside the ropes and goes over.
Back of a length and just outside off, jabbed down towards point for a single.
Rabada strays on Watson's pads and he clips the ball to fine leg for a single.
Rabada back into the attack.
Short outside off stump, Watson reaches out without much footwork and toe-ends his attempted cut to the cover-point eegion for a single.
Back of a length on middle, wasn't short enough and Finch lifts his front leg to pull to fine leg for a single.
Back of a length on off, Finch goes up on his toes and drops the ball right next to his feet.
Shortish in length on off, Finch swivels on the back foot and pulls to the deep square leg for a couple.
Back of a length and just outside off, dabbed away late to third man for a single.
Banged in short on off, Watson rocks back and pulls fiercely. Duminy at mid-wicket dives to his right and gets a decent hand on the ball. It slows down as it goes to deep mid-wicket and Watson gets two.
Parnell called back to bowl.
Watson charges out and looks to go over mid off, as prompted by Warne on air to Watson who is wired up. He miscues the ball over cover and gets a run.
Flat and quick on middle, Watson sits back and defends.
Shortish outside off, Finch goes back and punches through cover for a single.
FOUR! A bad misfield from Rabada! Flighted on middle, Finch gets down and sweeps hard. Rabada doesn't read the spin well and lets the ball through him to the fence.
Flighted on middle, Watson dances down the track and drills the ball down to long on for a single.
Shortish and just outside off, cut away hard to point where a half stop is made and a single is taken.
Good length ball angling back into the batsman, Watson goes on the back foot and defends it back to the bowler.
FOUR! And again! Watson is motoring and Australia are cruising! Short again, Watson sits on the back foot and has no qualms in pulling it to the deep mid-wicket boundary.
FOUR! Fine shot again by Watson! Gets a short ball in his zone, he nicely is on the top of the bounce and pulls it powerfully to the deep mid-wicket fence.
FOUR! Watson is looking in a hurry! An over-pitched ball around off, Watson leans into the drive and caresses it through covers for a boundary.
Presses forward to a full ball and pushes it gently to mid off.
FOUR! Poor delivery, short and wide outside off, Watson jumps on the back foot and slaps it over point for a boundary.
Flat and skidding on to the pads, Finch misses the clip and is struck on his pads.
Flat on middle, Finch goes back and drops the ball into the leg side.
FOUR! Thrashed! Tahir drops it slightly short and Finch rocks back to pull. He hits the ball wide of Rossouw at deep mid-wicket and finds the fence.
FOUR! Finch hits this fine! Flighted down the leg side, Finch gets down on his knee and sweeps away fien to the fine leg fence.
Tossed up on off, Watson gets down the track and drives down to long on for a single.
WIDE! Short and wide outside off, Watson looks to cut but misses and it's a wide.
Tossed up on middle and leg, flicked away straight to mid-wicket.
Imran Tahir has been brought on to bowl.
Good length delivery on middle, Finch stays in the crease and defends.
Good length delivery just outside off, Watson gets off the mark with a dab down to third man for a single.
Out comes Shane Watson to bat.
OUT! Straight to mid on! Fullish and just outside off, Dunk bends across and looks to smash the ball over mid on. He doesn't get any elevation and the ball goes at a good height to Abbott who takes a simple catch. Dunk can't believe he has mistimed that and walks back with dejection after practising what he wanted to do twice. He perhaps wanted to go over the bowler's head.
Short delivery on middle and leg, Dunk goes right back and pulls through square leg for a couple of runs.
A good low full toss on off stump, Dunk clears his front leg and drives but straight to mid off.
NO BALL and FOUR! Edged! Shortish outside off stump, Dunk looks to cut but gets a thick outside edge over first slip for a boundary. A Free Hit is coming up since Parnell overstepped.
Short delivery on off stump, Dunk rocks back to pull the ball but mistimes it to mid on.
Wayne Parnell into the attack.
Short but slow on off, Finch hits the ball hard but finds extra cover.
FOUR! This one's straight! Flighted on middle, Finch backs away and swings through the line. The ball goes up and down the straight fence. It bounces once and goes over. Behardien tries to get across but can't stop the ball.
FOUR! Clonk! A full toss on middle and leg, Finch happily clears his front leg and slogs the ball away to the mid-wicket fence, on the bounce.
Dunk uses his feet, gets to the pitch of the ball and drives down to long on for a single.
Flighted outside off, Dunk gets right across and looks to work the ball through mid-wicket. The ball spins away and goes past the outside edge.
Flat and just outside off, Dunk punches sweetly to mid off.
Spin inside the Powerplay as JP Duminy brings himself on.
Good length delivery around off stump, Dunk opens the face and runs the ball down to third man for a single.
Good length delivery around off stump, Dunk opens the face and runs the ball down to third man for a single.
FOUR! Same ball, same shot, same result! Another one banged in and Finch gets on it with another pull to the square leg fence.
FOUR! Crack! Short delivery on middle, the ball bounces nicely but Finch rocks back and pulls the ball away to the square leg fence.
Back of a length on off stump, punched from within the crease to mid on.
Fullish and angled down the leg side, it has been WIDED by the umpire.
Fullish outside off stump, Dunk dances out and carves the ball past mid off for three runs. He didn't get enough timing there.
A sharp bouncer that goes over Finch's shoulder, through to the keeper.
WIDE! Rabada strays down the leg side this time and Finch fails to tickle the ball away.
Good length delivery on off stump, Dunk stays back to defend but gets a thick edge down to third man for a single.
FOUR! Fine, fine shot! Pitched up just outside off, Dunk gets nicely forward, offers a straight bat and drives cleanly with a good sound off the bat for four.
FOUR! Just over cover-point! Shortish outside off stump, Dunk rocks back and cuts just over cover-point for a boundary.
Pitched up on off stump, Dunk drives straight back and Rabada gets his left hand out and stops the ball.
Good length delivery angled across the stumps, Dunk looks to punch from the crease but misses.
The new ball will be shared by Kagiso Rabada.
Good length delivery on middle and leg, worked away to mid-wicket.
Squirted through! Fullish and just outside off stump, Dunk leans forward this time and drives square through cover-point for three runs.
Fullish and wide outside off stump, Dunk doesn't get his front foot across and looks to drive but misses.
A sharp bouncer on middle and off, Dunk just about gets under the ball as he ducks.
Slightly full around off stump, Dunk drives to mid off.
Good length delivery on off, Dunk who takes strike, pushes the ball to cover from within the crease.
Welcome back! Australia need just 102 to win. This should be a walk in the park for them. Aaron Finch and Ben Dunk will take first guard while the new ball will be taken by Kyle Abbott.