Australia top of the ODI world again

Australia have returned to the top of the International Cricket Council's ODI rankings after edging out South Africa by two wickets in the fifth and final Carlton Mid ODI in Sydney.

The home side leapfrogs India to top spot with the 4-1 series win, taking the lead by just .21 of a point such is the closeness of the ODI teams ahead of next year's World Cup.

Shane Watson (82 off 93), Aaron Finch (76 off 67) and Steve Smith (67 off 74) guided the hosts to the revised Duckworth-Lewis target of 275, but a stunning lower-order collapse meant James Faulkner (6 not out off 5) had to ice the game and get the win with five balls to spare.

Man of the match Quinton de Kock scored his sixth ODI ton and became the first South African to score an ODI century on the SCG.

Steve Smith was named man of the series for his 254 runs at an average of 84.66 with two fifties and 104 in Melbourne.

On a scorching Sydney day where the mercury was forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius, Proteas stand-in skipper Hashim Amla decided to let Australia field under the blazing sun.

The sapping heat forced Australia captain George Bailey to rotate his fast bowlers in three-over spells, with no early success for NSW Blues opening pair Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc on a flat wicket and fast outfield.

Bailey needed a breakthrough on the placid wicket, issuing off-spinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell with the task, and with the last ball of his first over it was mission accomplished when Amla chased a wide slider to be well held by keeper Matthew Wade for 18 (28).

A rib injury suffered in Melbourne ruled out AB de Villiers, resulting in a reshuffle of the batting order and the promotion of Rilee Rossouw to first-drop. There he combined with de Kock to record South Africa’s second-straight fifty partnership.

Australia’s pace bowlers, bar Starc, were going at five runs per over or more, with de Kock hitting to all parts of the SCG and Rossouw strong from point through mid-off. It prompted Bailey to dig deeper into his spin stocks to call on Smith, and it almost paid off.

Rossouw’s sweep failed to make contact with the bat, instead hitting flush on the forearm and ballooning up to be caught by the circling Wade to the appeals of the Australians and the acknowledgement of umpire Nigel Llong, though Rossouw’s challenge corrected the decision as the Proteas pair moved their partnership to 100 from 188 balls and the score to 1-155 from 31 overs.

In his previous eight ODI innings, Rossouw had failed to get off the mark on four occasions, but today brought his first half-century from 69 balls. However, one run later his miscued pull shot found the safe hands of Bailey at mid-on to give the expensive Cummins his first wicket of the day.

Out of nowhere, the skies opened and an angry downpour sent the players and officials from the field and the groundsmen scurrying to cover the wicket with hessian and plastic.

Soon back out in the middle, Faf du Plessis checked his drive off Cummins, past the bowler and to the swooping Bailey at mid-off to take a terrific catch and drag the momentum back to the home side.

The batting powerplay was taken early to the detriment of the visitors, losing 2-22 from five overs, but de Kock survived, and with a wristy whip over short fine-leg moved into the nineties.

The 21-year-old had a life after Smith missed a run-out chance on a single the batsman had all but given up on. But Smith would strike next over with the ball, enticing David Miller to sweep a low full toss to Cummins running in from fine leg to depart for five (12) in a rare wicket-maiden.

De Kock would not be denied his century, tucking Maxwell to the leg-side for one to reach triple figures with muted celebration as the Proteas marched to 200 with 10 overs remaining.

Cummins spoke yesterday about how he wanted to be Australia’s one-day closer, and he did his cause no harm by removing de Kock for 107 (123) to capture his third wicket of the afternoon and wrestle the advantage off South Africa as brilliant sunshine bathed the SCG.

Quick Single: Cummins targets death bowling role

Earmarked as JP Duminy’s replacement, Behardien plucked a boundary off overs 40-47 to keep the scoreboard rattling along in the type of cameo performance he’s known for in South African domestic cricket.

Behardien and Wayne Parnell put on 50 from 40 balls to put the onus back on Bailey and his charges, and it only got worse for the hosts when Behardien launched two sixes in the last three overs before being caught by Smith on the rope to depart for a career-best 63 off 41 balls.

Australia’s openers came out of the blocks firing, with Finch lacing a pair of cover drives to kick-start his innings.

David Warner then got in on the act, targeting towering fast bowler Morne Morkel. The left-hander blasted three fours and huge six off Morkel, but fell shortly after on 21 (16) when his mistimed lofted drive found Robin Petersen at wide mid-on.

Batting at the position he might find himself occupying in the first Test next week, Shane Watson started positively, driving straight and strong before the rain came again and reduced the match to 48 overs and a revised target of 275.

Finch picked up where he left off, pulling Morkel for four in front of square before adding another technically perfect cover drive to his growing catalogue.

A brace of boundaries, again through the covers, brought up Finch’s half-century in 39 balls, and another exquisite high-elbow cover drive raised the Australian century.

So dominant was Finch that Watson was seemingly flying under the radar, but a soaring six into the dress up deck filled with superheroes, DJs and colourful patron’s enjoying the sponsor’s product alerted the audience to his presence.

It would take something spectacular to remove Finch, and that’s just what happened. Du Plessis caught the right-hander’s lofted drive off Petersen running toward the rope, but before momentum could take him over the boundary, the star Protea flicked it to the nearby Rossouw to end Finch’s bombastic knock on 76 (67).

It had been more than 12 months since Watson had posted an ODI fifty, but that would change when the allrounder brought up his 31st one-day half-century with a dashing late cut for four, and in doing so, his highest score against South Africa.

While Watson was free flowing, Smith had struggled for timing and rhythm all evening. Amla brought on Abbott and the demise of Smith, chopping on for 20, but umpire Mick Martell wanted to check the bowler’s front foot, and to the dismay to the Proteas the replay revealed a sizeable no ball to give Smith a reprieve.

Australia went ahead of the game when both Smith and Watson hit maximums off the returning Morkel, and when Watson tried to make it three sixes in the over his attempt found Rossouw (unassisted) at wide long-on to fall for 82 (93).

Smith blasted Parnell over mid-off to the boundary to bring up his third-consecutive half-century, but instead of jubilant celebration, the right-hander grinned and shook his head, acknowledging the crowd and his fair share of good luck.

There would be no luck however for Maxwell. The dynamic allrounder hasn’t found his mojo with the bat this series, caught at mid-off by Behardien from the bowling Morkel for 7 (10), but the game was all-but over at 5-246 in the 41st over.

Smith would be dismissed looking for a big hit to hand Petersen his second wicket, and when Bailey (4 off 7), and Wade (3 off 6) fell in quick succession, there was a whisper of a miracle in the air.

The whisper turned into an audible worry when Cummins was clean bowled for a duck to Petersen, who had claimed four wickets with Australia losing 4-3.

But just as he did in Melbourne, Faulkner finished off the game with a powerful sweep shot to win in the final over and return to the ODI summit.

Australia: Warner, Finch, Watson, Smith, Bailey (c), Maxwell, Wade, Faulkner, Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood. Richardson (12th)

South Africa: De Kock, Amla (c), Du Plessis, Rossouw, Miller, Behardien, McLaren, Peterson, Parnell, Morkel, Abbott. (12th TBC).