Australia's middle order faces spin test against South Africa
Josh Inglis' broken finger leaves Australia without its most prolific middle-order run scorer.
Pat Cummins is set to return to ODI cricket for the first time in two years when Australia plays South Africa in Johannesburg on Sunday. Australia's weakened batting line-up is the bigger concern.
Wicketkeeper Inglis, who scored a century against Zimbabwe last week, broke his finger and will miss the rest of the tour. Inglis' two centuries match the entire output from Australia's middle order (positions 3-7) since the 2023 World Cup.
In the first ODI, South Africa's left-arm spinners Keshav Maharaj and Bjorn Fortuin dismantled Australia's chase. The team's average against orthodox spin is now the lowest of any ODI side since 2023.
Young batter Matthew Renshaw and others will need to show they can handle spin bowling on their home turf.
- 2 since last World Cup
- Inglis centuries
- 21.73 runs
- Australia's spin average
- South Africa scored 298
- Match in Durban
- South Africa
- Series location
Why it mattersAustralia's batting depth is being tested in a critical series, and the team's spin vulnerability could cost them wins.
AustraliaAustralian cricket fans will be watching to see if the team can fix its middle-order problems before the Test series starts in October.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 8 h ago
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