HARARE, Zimbabwe // South Africa eased to a 63-run win over Zimbabwe on Thursday and will play Australia in the one-day international tri-series final at Harare Sports Club.
Faf du Plessis hit his third century in four games to take South Africa to 271-6 batting first, just about guaranteeing a place in Saturday’s decider, with Zimbabwe needing to overhaul that score in just 25.2 overs to move ahead of the South Africans on run rate.
The Zimbabweans ultimately finished well short of any kind of victory, despite Brendan Taylor’s return to form. He managed 79, with five fours and two sixes propping up the chase.
The next-highest score was 29 by opener Sikandar Raza as the home team’s batting was fragile again.
South Africa claimed a bonus point in the comfortable win, finished atop the standings, and will play Australia for the third time to decide the tournament.
The teams have one win each in their round-robin meetings.
South Africa was so comfortable that coaches gave Rilee Rossouw a chance to bowl for the first time in internationals, and he responded by getting Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura out.
South Africa skipper AB de Villiers also bowled for only the second time in an ODI, and the first time since 2007, as the Proteas experimented ahead of the game against Australia this weekend.
The one thing the South Africans are certain of, though, is Du Plessis’s rich run of form.
After waiting for more than 50 games to get his first ODI century, Du Plessis made his second straight and third of the series with a masterful 121 to lift South Africa from a wobbling start at 26-2.
He found support from JP Duminy, who made 51 in their stand of 103 for the fifth wicket.
Seamer Neville Madziva was Zimbabwe’s best bowler with 2-53, but the four-prong spin attack didn’t restrict South Africa as much as Zimbabwe wanted and their batsmen again struggled.
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