A huge run total after batting first. Bowling aggressively at the opponent batters. Completing a huge win. South Africa demolished New Zealand at Pune – in a manner that is becoming more and more familiar with the tournament getting to the next phase. Centuries from two in-form batters were perfectly backed by the bowlers, especially Keshav Maharaj. Will it be their year finally?
Fixture
| Date | 1 November, 2023, from 1:30 IST onwards |
| Venue | The game was played in the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune |
Team Lineups
South Africa made one change to their playing eleven that claimed a nerve-wracking win against Pakistan in the last game. Despite winning the best player of the match award, Tabraiz Shamsi missed out in favor of more seamers. Kagiso Rabada came in to replace him.
New Zealand also played a nail-biter themselves, narrowly losing on a run galore against Australia. Kiwi legend Tim Southee was selected in the team for the first team in this tournament. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was rested for this encounter. Kane Williamson is still missing with a finger injury he sustained against Bangladesh.
South Africa
- Quinton de Kock (WK) 2. Temba Bavuma (Cap.) 3. Rassie van der Dussen 4. Aiden Markram 5. Heinrich Klaasen 6. David Miller 7. Marco Jansen 8. Gerald Coetzee 9. Keshav Maharaj 10. Kagiso Rabada 11. Lungi Ngidi
New Zealand
- Devon Conway 2. Will Young 3. Rachin Ravindra 4. Daryl Mitchell 5. Tom Latham (Cap.) (WK) 6. Glenn Phillps 7. Jimmy Neesham 8. Mitchell Santner 9. Matt Henry 10. Tim Southee 11. Trent Boult
New Zealand stand-in skipper Tom Latham won the coin toss and elected to bowl first. The surface in Pune looked nice and hard with some grass on it. It might act like a two-paced track that would slow down later on. In the last six D/N games have seen an equal number of wins for both teams. The boundaries are small on both sides and a gentle breeze blowing would help the batsman clear it easily.
Captaincy & Tactics
New Zealand’s decision to bowl first seemed to be the right one during the early exchanges. Southee and Boult made the ball talk and were getting close with good bouncers. But de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen batted diligently and their cautious approach kept the Kiwi bowlers at bay.
After playing themselves in, de Kock and van der Dussen switched to their usual selves. There were also many singles and doubles taken across the ground to keep the scoreboard ticking. The decision to unleash David Miller early was a masterstroke, Miller hit the ball with disdain and his marauding approach got the score past 350.
New Zealand found life hard under lights after coming out to bat. Marco Jansen was peppering them with short balls. Conway and Ravindra both got missed on bouncers from the fast bowler. Once Keshav Maharaj came into the attack, it was game over for the Black Caps. Maharaj produced magic off the surface, turning the ball massively into the left-handers. Gerald Coetzee joined the fun eventually, his pace being a key factor in New Zealand’s demise. Glenn Phillps was running out of partners, but he launched a rearguard action to hit back at the South Africans.
Batting Analysis
Temba Bavuma started the match strong, hitting two powerful shots off Matt Henry in the fourth over. Quinton de Kock, on the other hand, struggled initially and even got hit by a bouncer from Trent Boult. South Africa’s innings didn’t start very well. Boult then got Bavuma out with a clever delivery, and he was caught by Mitchell at slip.
New Zealand had a chance to take two wickets in consecutive overs if Glenn Phillips had managed to catch a difficult ball at backward point off Tim Southee. Phillips showed great skill by anticipating de Kock’s shot and making a fantastic diving one-handed attempt. At that point, de Kock had scored 12 runs off 24 balls.
On the other hand, Rassie van der Dussen played a strong pull shot to begin the partnership with de Kock, as Southee struggled with his bowling rhythm and speed at the start. De Kock and van der Dussen took their time to settle and build a solid foundation in the first 100 runs of their 200-run partnership. They planned to accelerate later in the innings and executed it perfectly. This plan was made easier for them because New Zealand had to rely on their part-time bowlers after Henry got injured in the 27th over.
With Henry’s injury, the responsibility of bowling fell on Ravindra, James Neesham, and Phillips for 14.3 overs. De Kock and van der Dussen took advantage of this situation and increased their scoring rate, knowing that New Zealand’s part-time bowlers were not as strong.
Bowling Analysis
New Zealand bowled brilliantly in the powerplay. Eventually in the 16th over, de Kock started to score more freely as he attacked Southee. He hit an impressive pull shot for four and followed it up with a six straight down the ground. De Kock got lucky when he chipped a ball from Phillips into the leg side, and it fell in between three fielders. He reached his half-century off 62 balls, and van der Dussen achieved the same milestone off 61 balls.
New Zealand’s troubles continued as Neesham, one of their part-time bowlers, was hit on the thumb by a powerful straight drive from de Kock. On 95, de Kock should have been run out on the same delivery, but the throw from Santner missed the stumps. De Kock then completed his century off 103 balls with a six-over deep fine leg. He seemed set for a big finish.
Meanwhile, van der Dussen played clever shots like reverse paddles and sweeps to unsettle New Zealand’s spinners. The partnership between de Kock and van der Dussen reached 200 runs at a fast pace. However, de Kock got out in the 40th over, picking out a fielder at point off Southee. South Africa surprised everyone by sending Miller to bat next, accelerating the run rate and scoring a quick half-century off just 29 balls. Neesham leaked runs and conceded 69 runs in his 5.3 overs, including 18 runs in the final over.
As New Zealand walked off, they knew they faced a challenging chase. But given their impressive performances in previous matches against England and Australia, there was still hope. However, South Africa’s bowling attack dominated the game, making it hard to believe that it was the same pitch New Zealand bowled on.
Marco Jansen now has 11 wickets in the powerplay, his knack of picking up dismissals during the first 10 overs has become a theme for the South African fast bowling. Keshav Maharaj getting a huge amount of turn out of the Indian wicket is an ominous sign for opponent batters.
After losing their top order early, Phillips tried to delay the inevitable and spent time at the crease amidst a collapse of the lower order. In the end, New Zealand were desperate to minimize the impact on their net run rate, so an injured Henry came out to bat and stayed with Phillips for 5.1 overs, adding 34 runs for the final wicket. However, even that couldn’t reduce the significance of the defeat, which was a convincing one for South Africa.
Fielding Analysis
De Kock’s sharp chance dropped at backward point cost New Zealand dearly in this game. On some other day, the usually Glenn Phillps would have been able to pull that catch off and may have had to restrict South Africa to a smaller total. Trent Boult put a valiant effort on the long-off boundary, but he could only parry it over the boundary for a six to Rassie van der Dussen.
Daryl Mitchell was the star of the New Zealand fielding department. He completed a sharp low catch at first slip to dismiss Temba Bavuma. Mitchell then showed his presence of mind by throwing the ball up and returning to catch it to dismiss David Miller.
David Miller was the best fielder for the Proteas, completing two catches. Miller caught Mitchell brilliantly despite the ball staying in the night sky for a long time. Coetzee at fine leg judged the pace brilliantly to catch Rachin Ravindra out.
Key Performances
Quinton de Kock is departing from the ODI scene on a high with his 4th century at this World Cup. Rassie van der Dussen also hit top gear when he unleashed his batting fury upon the Kiwis with a bombastic innings of 133 runs. This was his second century after getting a ton in the first game. David Miller was given a promotion in order to make the best out of this powerplay. The Southpaw batsman wasted no time to grab this opportunity by playing a perfect cameo of 53 runs from 30 balls. On a day New Zealand was tormented persistently, experienced campaigner Tim Southee was the pick of the bowlers with a figure of 2 for 77. Trent Boult was parsimonious by conceding 49 runs from 10 overs and claiming a wicket.
New Zealand’s batting did not seem sturdy enough to chase the huge target, Glenn Phillips top-scored with 60 from 50 balls. Will Young tried his best with 33 runs scored from 37 balls. Keshav Maharaj spun doubt on the batsmen’s minds and claimed four wickets for 46 runs. Marco Jansen got three wickets for 31 runs and the towering left-arm pacer went joint top of the wicket-takers standing with 16.
Turning Point
New Zealand started off really well with Temba Bavuma picked up early by Trent Boult. Quinton de Kock was finding it hard to hit the ball during the powerplay overs. He was trying to break off the shackles. Tim Southee was getting some swing with the new ball. The turning point came on the 9th over.
South Africa’s score was at 38 runs. Quinton de Kock was batting at 12. Tim Southee pitched it on the good length, just outside of the off-stump line. Quinton de Kock played it late, cutting it toward the third-man region. The ball flew quickly to the man standing at backward point.
Glenn Phillps is one of the most dedicated and athletic fielders around, he almost managed to pull off a stunning catch. But it did not stick and de Kock got an early reprieve. The left-hander would go on to score an innings of 114 runs as South Africa put a huge total of 357 runs on the board.
Match Result
South Africa demolished New Zealand by a massive margin of 190 runs to go top of the standings.
Player of the Match
Rassie van der Dussen won the best player of the match award for his stroke-filled innings of 133 runs off 118 balls bringing the Proteas batsman his 6th ODI century.
Brief Scorecard
| South Africa Total: 357/4 (50 overs) | New Zealand Total: 167/10 (35.3 overs) |
| Rassie van der Dussen 133 (118) | Glenn Phillps 60 (50) |
| Quinton de Kock 114 (118) | Will Young 33 (37) |
| Tim Southee 2/77 (10) | Keshav Maharaj 4/46 (9) |
| Trent Boult 1/49 (10) | Marco Jansen 3/31 (8) |
Match Wrap-Up
It was a magnificent team performance by the Proteas who leapfrogged India at the top with one more game played. Their dominating performance means they have won 6 out of 7 games, only losing out to the Netherlands in the tournament. Only one win is needed to secure a semi-final berth for the South African cricket team. New Zealand fans would feel a little bit worried about their team which has lost their third game in a row. New Zealand will face Pakistan in an all-important game which could see Pakistan getting level on points with the Kiwis. South Africa’s next assignment takes them to Kolkata where they will meet a red-hot Indian side.
