With the SA team having secured convincing wins in the first two matches, the third game of the series will be played on Sunday.
With the series victory already in the bag, seam bowler Lungi Ngidi insists there will be no complacency from the Proteas in the third and final ODI against Australia to be played in Mackay on Sunday (6.30am start).
After winning the preceding T20 series 2-1, Australia struggled to put up a fight in the first two matches of the ODI series this week, falling in 98-run defeat in Cairns on Tuesday and an 84-run loss in Mackay on Friday.
While South Africa earned their fifth successive ODI series win over Australia, Ngidi insisted they were not underestimating their opposition ahead of the last match of their tour.
‘Up and down’ tour
“It’s always a battle against Australia. It’s always competitive,” said Ngidi, who took 5/42 on Friday, leading the Proteas to victory.
“I think we’ve seen from the T20 series how it’s up and down. They win, we win, then they win again. It’s always a good competition, so I guess coming into the ODIs was no different.
“We’ve tried to put our best foot forward and it’s been a test of character because we were put under pressure from the T20 matches and we had an opportunity to win a series tonight (Friday), so just mentally stepping up and finishing it off. I think it’s just a great rivalry that’s always been there and is going to continue for many years.”
Aiming for series clean sweep
Though they had already wrapped up the series win with a game to spare, Ngidi said the Proteas were eager to hit their straps on Sunday and secure a series clean sweep.
“The most important thing is winning. We don’t believe in dead rubber games, which is what people usually call it,” Ngidi said.
“The more you win, it becomes a habit, so we’re trying to create that habit within the environment.”
