New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first, only for this decision to prove disastrous as South Africa amassed 357/7 runs against them.
Quinton de Kock (114 off 116) and Rassie van der Dussen (133 off 118) created an unprecedented 200-run second wicket partnership.
New Zealand began losing wickets consistently. Keshav Maharaj claimed Mitchell Santner and James Neesham from New Zealand for just 36 runs to bring their score down to 167/6 after 35.3 overs.
Match Scorecard
Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen struck magnificent centuries as South Africa posted an overwhelming total of 357/4 against New Zealand in an exhilarating World Cup encounter at Pune on Wednesday. Their stellar efforts propelled South Africa away from New Zealand’s dominance while simultaneously turning attention away from rugby to cricket for a short while.
South Africa National Cricket Team Vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard got scared when Temba Bavuma of South Africa also made an early half-century before being caught by Ravindra Jadeja at deep backward square leg and dismissed for 85. But his Proteas teammates kept attacking New Zealand bowling; Glenn Phillips hit an unbelievable SIX off Lungi Ngidi’s short delivery for six.
Tom Latham was sent back into the pavilion by Kasigo Rabada after scoring only three runs, edging to Aiden Markram at second slip and being caught out. At that stage, New Zealand were leading their chase 8/1 but soon began losing wickets quickly as Marco Jansen removed Devon Conway, before Will Young was LBW dismissed off of the next ball by Will Young and Keshav Maharaj castled James Neesham for a duck – all within five balls!
South Africa cricket
New Zealand took an impressive 281 run lead against South Africa late on the fourth day at Bay Oval and held onto it throughout. Their performance outclassed an inexperienced Proteas side who failed to match up.
Stand-in Kiwi skipper Tom Latham won the toss and elected to bowl, enabling the hosts to play their own brand of cricket. Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen provided key support, scoring hundreds each despite some dubious decisions from New Zealand bowlers to produce an astronomic total of 511.
The Black Caps then easily advanced through their middle overs, with Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, and Matt Henry each making notable contributions towards reaching their target in just over four sessions to establish an unassailable lead.
Proteas’ inexperience proved too much for them as they struggled against New Zealand bowlers’ pace and accuracy. Edward Moore and Zubayr Hamza couldn’t form any significant partnerships while Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips also left cheaply – it was only Neil Brand’s courageous half century that kept the Proteas competitive in this matchup.
New Zealand cricket
New Zealand are poised to win their inaugural Test match against South Africa after an eventful day, even as their top-order has collapsed and they still lead by an overwhelming margin.
Quinton de Kock scored his fourth century of the tournament and is quickly closing in on Rohit Sharma’s record for most centuries scored during a World Cup. Rassie van der Dussen made another beautiful century as well.
Aiden Markram scored back-to-back sixes for South Africa to increase their score and ensure they would win comfortably. New Zealand bowlers did not alter their line or length even during the crucial death overs.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson expressed his satisfaction with the result and noted that it was a challenging match. He acknowledged his team’s learnings from this match and hope they challenge strongly for future contests. In particular, he applauded their teammates and bowlers’ outstanding efforts and expressed hope that they make it through to quarter finals from group stage.
Highlights
Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen shared an incredible 200-run stand to propel South Africa to 357/4 at ODI World Cups vs New Zealand; surpassing H Gibbs and Gary Kirsten from Birmingham’s 1999 tournament by 22 runs.
Aiden Markram struck two sixes in three balls as South Africa passed 350 runs, but this wasn’t enough to gain them an advantage as Gerald Coetzee caught Rachin Ravindra leg before wicket for only 9 runs in his next over.
Marco Jansen struck an excellent short ball to Rachin Ravindra who attempted a pull but missed and sent it flying directly towards Gerald Coetzee at fine leg.
South Africa was in danger of suffering an innings defeat as Edward Moore, Zubayr Hamza and David Bedingham all made starts that ended shortly after lunch due to unconvincing shots. Keegan Petersen joined Bedingham but soon after declared before Day 4, setting South Africa an enormous target to chase. New Zealand declared shortly before starting Day 4.
Final words
South Africa’s last-gasp loss against India was hard for South African fans to stomach, leaving one of cricket’s biggest “what ifs”.
The meeting between these two teams promises to be captivating. There will be an explosion of firepower with both bat and ball; including Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen’s legendary batting ability and big hitting from Glenn Phillips and Henrich Klaasen; Devon Conway will add aesthetics with her aesthetic bat play; Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult are pace royalty on bowling side of things while Gerald Coetzee keeps pace.
Zubayr Hamza and Keegan Petersen may see this match as an opportunity to secure their places in the first-choice XI, yet their chances could easily be derailed by an all- conquering New Zealand side which outclasses them in every area of cricket.
