Proteas complete comfortable ODI Series Clean Sweep

THE Standard Bank Proteas wrapped up the Momentum ODI Series with a 200-run victory over Bangladesh in the final match at Buffalo Park in East London on Sunday. The 3-0 series victory gives them the No. 1 ICC ranking in this format for the time being. Today’s victory was marred by the lower back injury suffered by captain Faf du Plessis, who was unbeaten on 91 at the time (67 balls, 10 fours and a six), having shared a third wicket record partnership against Bangladesh of 151 with new cap Aiden Markram. It was all that was going to stop the South African captain recording his 9th hundred in this format. At the other end of the scale Markram looked as though he had a maiden century for the taking (66 off 60 balls, 4 fours and 2 sixes) before he ran himself out attempting a second run. By a quirk of fate he was also deprived of a Test century on debut by a run out. Du Plessis has been ruled out of the KFC T20 International series next week with JP Duminy taking over the captaincy and Dwaine Pretorius coming in as a replacement player. AB de Villiers took up the captaincy for the balance of today’s match. Bangladesh again paid the price for not being able to take wickets up front and not being able to get a good start themselves. The absence of Hashim Amla made little difference as Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma shared an opening stand of 119 that set up the Proteas for their best total against Bangladesh of 369/6 and they only lost 12 wickets in the entire series. When Bangladesh batted they lost their first three wickets inside 6 overs to Kagiso Rabada and Dane Paterson and that was virtually the end of the contest. Paterson went on to finish with career best figures of 3/44 while the two new caps, Markram and Wiaan Mulder, took 3 wickets between them. De Kock, Amla and De Villiers made almost 600 runs between them in the series with De Kock being named Momentum Man of the Series and Du Plessis Man of today’s match. The presence of Bavuma, Markram (who took an outstanding slip catch) and Mulder certainly added youthful energy to the Proteas fielding effort.