Australia bat first, Marsh returns

[Nergal]

 

South Africa have won the toss and elected to bowl first in the second Gillette ODI against Australia at Adelaide Oval, with the Aussies making two changes from the side that lost the series opener on Sunday.

Shaun Marsh comes into the side in place of fellow left-hander D'Arcy Short, while leg-spinner Adam Zampa also returns in place of paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile.

The Proteas have made one change, replacing Andile Phehlukwayo with fellow pace-bowling allrounder Dwaine Pretorius.

The Australians lost the first match in Perth by six wickets after they were bowled out for just 152.

The hosts are hoping their return to a happy place might prove the catalyst to snap a losing streak in ODI cricket that has now stretched to an unprecedented seven matches.

Skipper Aaron Finch acknowledged that securing a win represents the quickest and simplest means of lessening the scrutiny that has been squarely focused upon Australian cricket – on and off-field – during recent weeks.

"I think at times it's probably affected guys," Finch said on Thursday.

"When we talk about confidence in the batting group, it's about not letting outside distractions affect your game.

"There's been a lot of media about Cricket Australia recently. A lot of media about our batting.

"I think if you can put that to one side and focus on the next ball and really make sure that you're committed to watching the ball and being 100 per cent committed to your partnership, I think that'll go a long way towards turning things around quickly."