Mitch Marsh played the role of a lone warrior with a brilliant 88, but his heroic innings only served to highlight the brittleness of Australia’s batting lineup in their 98-run loss to South Africa. The lack of support for the captain was the story of the failed chase.
While Marsh played with power and authority, wickets tumbled at the other end. After the 60-run opening stand, no other specialist batter reached double figures. This stark statistic reveals a lineup that crumbled under the first sign of pressure from quality spin.
The Australian captain watched a procession of partners come and go, each falling victim to the wily Keshav Maharaj. His frustration was palpable as a winnable position slipped away due to the collective failure of his teammates.
Marsh’s dismissal was the final nail in the coffin, but the damage had been done long before. The innings exposed a worrying dependence on a few key players and a fragility in the middle order that needs to be addressed.