Head suffers broken hand as Australia caned by Proteas

Steve Barrett | September 16, 2023

Australia’s preparations for the World Cup have been thrown into disarray after Travis Head suffered a fractured hand in a horror 164-run loss to South Africa at Centurion.

Head’s night – and probably his World Cup dream – ended when he retired hurt on 17 after being struck a painful blow on his left hand by Gerald Coetzee in Friday’s (Saturday AEST) fourth one-day international.

The star opener tried batting for two more overs before coming off the ground in clear discomfort.

The Proteas went on to emphatically level the five-match ODI series 2-2 after Heinrich Klaasen (174 off 83 balls) and David Miller (82no off 45) had blasted them to a mammoth 5-416.

Despite Alex Carey’s brilliant solo 99, Australia were then never in the hunt, knocked over for 252 in 34.5 overs.

Australia’s faltering chase ended when Carey gloved Kagiso Rabada to a diving Quinton de Kock, capping the tourists’ second defeat by 100-plus runs in three days and their second heaviest loss in all ODIs against South Africa.

But the defeat was as nothing to the concerns over key left-hander Head with the World Cup just three weeks away.

David Warner (12) and captain Mitch Marsh (6) had departed cheaply prior to Head’s ninth-over exit.

Marnus Labuschagne (20) and Marcus Stoinis (18), like Carey, fell to South Africa’s short-ball trap, gloving catches to de Kock.

Lungi Ngidi (4-51) was the pick of the Proteas’ bowlers, aided by Kagiso Rabada (3-41), who also took a spectacular, diving one-handed catch to dismiss Nathan Ellis.

The damage had already been done with Klaasen and Miller destroying the Aussie attack, belting 19 fours and 18 sixes between them and sharing in a blistering 222-run fifth-wicket stand from just 94 deliveries.

After openers de Kock (45) and Reeza Hendricks (28) made a circumspect start, Rassie van der Dussen (63) began raising the tempo before Klaasen and Miller provided the real fireworks, smashing 173 from the last 10 overs.

Klaasen’s ton, which came off 57 balls, was the fourth fastest by a South Africa, after AB de Villiers (twice) and Mark Boucher.

Legspinner Adam Zampa was plundered for 0-113 from his 10 overs, equalling the long-standing unwanted record previously held outright by former Aussie paceman Mick Lewis (against the Proteas in 2006) for the most runs conceded by a bowler in an ODI.

The fifth and deciding game is at Johannesburg this Sunday.