New Zealand skipper Tom Latham won the toss and elected to field against South Africa in the clash between the second and third-placed teams in 50-over World Cup in Pune on Wednesday. The Proteas, who are in great form, will be eager to overturn the record books after last defeating New Zealand in 1999, losing five straight matches. In head-to-head record, New Zealand hold a huge upperhand with 6-2 in their favour in eight matches so far in the World Cup. The Black Caps will be eager to avenge the loss All Blacks suffered at the hands of South Africa in Rugby World Cup final last Sunday.
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New Zealand veteran seamer Tim Southee comes in to the team in place of injured Lockie Ferguson while pacer Kagiso Rabada replaces left-arm wrist spinner Tabriz Shamsi, which could hurt the Proteas on a slow wicket that is assisting the spinners.
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New Zealand pacers kept South Africa to a quiet start, conceding only 15 runs in first five overs, with skipper Temba Bavuma being the aggressor until he was dismissed by Trent Boult. Quinton de Kock, who is having a great World Cup, continued to keep the scoreboard ticking. The left-hander scored his fourth century in this World Cup to equal Kumar Sangakkara, though this knock was way too slower to his normal standards, coming in off 103 balls. Top-scorer de Kock going past 500 runs in the tournament.
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South African batter Rassie van der Dussen scored his second century of this World Cup, reaching the milestone in 101 balls. The right-hander and de Kock put on a 200-run partnership for the second wicket to give the Proteas the perfect stage to go on an all out attack in the final 10 overs. Despite losing de Kock against the run of play, van der Dussen continued to go on the attack in the company of David Miller to score 133 off 118 balls.
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Matt Henry leaving the field midway due to injury, after bowling just 5.3 overs, has made it difficult for New Zealand, who had to depend on part-time bowlers including Rachin Ravindra and Jimmy Neesham to complete the quota, that also gave South Africa to go after them.
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Left-hander Miller ended a lean patch in the World Cup 2023 by scoring an unbeaten 53 off 30 balls to take South Africa to 357 for four in 50 overs. The Kiwis will have to be at their best to overhaul the stiff target, though the 2019 finalists have done it easily against England in the first match and ran close to Australia in their previous clash, losing by five runs after chasing a target of 389.
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The New Zealand innings didn’t get off against a hostile bowling from Marco Jansen, who was well complimented by Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Gerald Coetzee. The South African bowlers kept striking wickets at regular intervals, which put a tremendous pressure on the chase. The tall left-arm pacer dismissed Devon Conway to make early inroads.
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After the early exit of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, New Zealand relied heavily on in-form batter Daryl Mitchell to lead the chase, but could only manage 24 and became the fifth wicket to fall. Injuries to Jimmy Nesham and Matt Henry also didn’t help the team’s cause.
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The Pune wicket offered some turn and Keshav Maharaj, the lone South African spinner, took full advantage of the assistance he got to spin a web around New Zealand. He took a cue from Mitchell Santner and bowled at a reduced pace to extract the maximum out of the pitch. He was immediately rewarded by ending the stay of Mitchell and followed it up with two more wickets of Santner and Trent Boult. For the first time in this World Cup, the Black Caps were completely off colour in today’s game, which is crucial for the qualification to semifinals.
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Glenn Phillips waged a lone battle, scoring the lone half-century in New Zealand innings, which folded up for 167. The big 190-run loss could hurt the 2019 finalists as they now are in desperate need to win the next two games. New Zealand next play against Pakistan in Bengaluru on Saturday with the final game against Sri Lanka on November 9. With eight points on board, the Black Caps cannot afford any more slip-ups.
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The South African players celebrate a clinical win against the New Zealand. The victory takes them to 12 points and has taken them to the top of the table, with a better run-rate to India. On Sunday, South African play against India, who will be meeting Sri Lanka on Thursday. However, the Proteas could enjoy their time in Kolkata until then after a thumping win, which has only strengthened their title credentials.
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