Published: Nov 15, 2016, 04:27 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 15, 2016, 04:27 PM (IST)
South Africa knocked off the remaining 8 Australian wickets early into Day Four to register an innings and 80-run win over the hosts’ helping them clinch the 3-Test series 2-0. South Africa have been dominating Australia since the start of Test series, first a commendable win at Perth and now an emphatic win in the second Test at Hobart. Australia was outclassed across departments, much to the misery of their home fans who fought out rain and wet conditions just to get a glimpse of their cricketing heroes’ to show no vindictiveness. This series defeat has brought with itself a lot of criticism for the team as they have lost five consecutive matches in the longer format of the game. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs South Africa, 2nd Test at Hobart
But talking on the same note, former Australian skipper Ricky Pointing has blamed the players and has referred to the Australian batting collapse as, “very, very poor batting performance.” ‘Talking about the same, Ponting was quotes by cricket.com.au as, “”The Aussie batters, they just didn’t know where to go, what to do. They got very defensive minded and when they do that – it’s been shown through this Test series – their techniques aren’t good enough to stand up.
“That’s a very, very poor batting performance again. Are they lacking confidence because of some of the selections and things that have happened? Maybe! But when you’re out there in the heat of the battle, that’s all gone. You’ve got to find a way to play the game.
The only batsmen to provide some credibility to the Australia side was skipper Steven Smith, who took as many as 40-minutes to score a run on Day Four. Smith kept on putting a brave face for his side, only to see a stack of batsmen fall like nine-pins on the other end. With seven wickets down already, Smith dismissal would have surely added the final nail in the coffin, and Rabada just did that when he got skipper for 31.
