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ODI world cup 2023

'Fought so hard but in the end, it doesn't even matter' - Fans react as Australia sneaks past South Africa in second semifinal of ODI World Cup 2023

Australia and South Africa played the third semifinal in their ODI World Cup history. Previously, they played a semifinal game against each other in 1999 and 2007.

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Mathew K
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Australia has qualified for the ODI World Cup 2023 final

Australia has qualified for the ODI World Cup 2023 final (Image Credit: Twitter)

In the second semifinal of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, South Africa and Australia locked horns in Kolkata. Ahead of this game, the Aussies were coming off seven back-to-back wins. On the other hand, the Proteas were in the second spot with seven wins and a batter net run rate. Meanwhile, in this game, the Green Brigade won the toss and elected to bat first despite the overcast conditions.

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They had a poor start as they lost four wickets for 24 runs in 11.5 overs. A few overs later, the rain stopped the match for close to an hour. However, the best part was that the overs weren't reduced and it stayed away till the end of the game. Meanwhile, the likes of David Miller and Heinrich Klassen put together 95 runs for the fifth wicket. 

When it looked like the team would go on to get a match-winning total, Travis Head removed Klassen and Marco Jansen in the 31st over. Miller scored another ODI hundred and got able partners in the form of Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada. In the end, the team was bowled out for 212 with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins taking three wickets each.

On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head took two each.

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South Africa fought hard but Australia escaped into the final

In reply, the Kangaroos had a great start with 60 runs in six overs. However, Aiden Markram started the comeback with the wicket of David Warner. Mitchell Marsh was the second wicket to fall thanks to a great catch by Rassie van der Dussen. Head was removed by a beauty from Keshav Maharaj. 

In the middle overs, the Proteas made a comeback with wickets although they dropped a few difficult catches. In the end, they lost the game by three wickets and once again, missed out on the finals spot.

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This is how Twitter reacted