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'Gazab fans hi yaar' - Twitter react as fans in Lucknow count Australia's drop catches and misfields against South Africa in 2023 ODI World Cup

The Australian fielders were instrumental in propelling the Proteas to a 300-plus score as they dropped seven catches and over seven misfields in the first innings.

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Mathew K
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AUS vs SA 2023 ODI World Cup

AUS vs SA 2023 ODI World Cup

It wouldn't be surprising if anyone thought the Australian players had applied oil on their hands during the 2023 ODI World Cup match against South Africa. It was a below-par fielding effort from the Australian players at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday, October 12. Notably, after suffering a six-wicket loss to India in their opening match, it is essential for Australia to bounce back. 

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After winning the toss, Pat Cummins decided to bowl first, thinking of having a crack with their pace attack in the early overs, as they had done against India. However, the South African opening duo, Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock, played cautiously and capitalised once got settled at the crease. They stitched a 108-run partnership before Glenn Maxwell got rid of the Proteas skipper in the 20th over. 

De Kock continued the onslaught with Rassie van der Dussen and eventually reached his 19th ODI century. The southpaw smashed back-to-back tons in the ongoing World Cup and stole the limelight in Lucknow. Later, he partnered with Aiden Markram, the fastest centurion in the history of the ODI World Cup. De Cock departed after scoring 109, but Markram (56 off 44) and Heinrich Klaasen (29 off 27) kept the scoreboard ticking.

A day to forget on the field for Australians 

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David Miller and Marco Jansen played effective cameos and helped South Africa post a total of 311/7. De Kock's century and Markram's half-century as well as the Australian fielders were instrumental in propelling the Proteas to a 300-plus score. Sluggish throughout the first innings, the Men in Yellow had a day to forget on the field.

Australia dropped a total of seven catches and over seven misfields. Their fielding struggles continued till the end when Mitchell Starc messed up a straightforward outfield catch to give a lifeline to David Miller. A couple of deliveries later, Marcus Stoinis dropped a straightforward catch at cover off Marco Jansen.

Meanwhile, two fans at Ekana Cricket Stadium grabbed the attention of the cricket fraternity by judging Australia's 'fielding prowess'. They counted the number of dropped catches, misfields and bad reviews, and a picture of them holding the 'mark sheet' has gone viral on social media. 

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Here's how fans reacted: 

Australia featured South Africa ODI World Cup 2023