Lungi Ngidi’s Fifer Seals Series As South Africa Humble Australia Yet Again News24 –
Australia vs South Africa 2nd ODI: Another match, another batting collapse and Australia’s ODI woes continue. South Africa sealed the series with a game to spare, cruising to victory in Mackay after a brilliant spell from Lungi Ngidi, who claimed a match-winning fifer.
South Africa has won its fifth consecutive ODI series against Australia, with one game still to play. #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/9cBGmWBCRR
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 22, 2025
Ngidi Leads the Charge
The 28-year-old fast bowler thrived under pressure, stepping up in the absence of spearhead Kagiso Rabada. Ngidi’s 5/42 sliced through an Australian batting order that once again looked fragile.
“It’s been a long tour. A real test of character,” Ngidi said after collecting his Player of the Match award. “When Rabada went down, I knew I had big shoes to fill. Tonight was about running in hard and breaking the game open.”
He now has 26 wickets in 11 ODIs against Australia at a staggering average of 16.96 and a strike rate of 20.2. Only Curtly Ambrose (3) and Shane Bond (3) have more five-wicket hauls against the Aussies in this format, with Ngidi joining Trent Boult in second place on the list with two.
Australia’s Batting Nightmares
Except for Josh Inglis, who fought valiantly, the rest of the Australian lineup floundered once more. Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne fell cheaply to Ngidi and Marco Burger, and while Cameron Green chipped in with 35 during a promising stand with Inglis, Senuran Muthusamy broke through at the crucial moment.
Inglis’ dismissal all but sealed Australia’s fate as they stumbled to another sub-200 total – 193 all-out – continuing a worrying trend. Their last four home ODI scores now read: 163, 140, 198, and 193. Since their Champions Trophy chase against England earlier this year, Australia have managed just one win in their last eight completed ODIs.
South Africa’s Dominance
For South Africa, this victory was more than just another series win; it was a statement of their growing dominance in bilateral ODI encounters against Australia. The Proteas have now won their last five such series and eight of the last ten overall, taking 17 wins from the last 21 completed ODIs between the two sides.
Interestingly, South Africa batted first in each of their last seven ODIs against Australia, winning six of them – the only exception being the 2023 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens.
What’s Next?
With one game left, South Africa will eye a clean sweep, while Australia face difficult questions about their batting depth and consistency ahead of a packed international calendar.