The biggest challenge as captain of a cricket team, apart from making the decision on field, is to keep your own performances up. AB de Villiers, taking additional load of glove work, seems to be embracing leadership as he scored his 13th one day century and drove South Africans home from a trick situation..
Electing to bat first, Kiwis struggled against Proteas' game plan of short pitched bowler but somehow, new ball didn't fetch the wickets and hence Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson were able to set the platform. 137 for 2 wkts at the 30th over mark, New Zealand were expected to at least double their total but Jacques Kallis and Robin Peterson pinned down the lower order. Southee hit last ball for a six to stretch the total past 250 run mark.
Unlike visitors, home team new ball bowlers concentrated on fuller length and it paid back as they snatched three early wickets. Captain de Villiers joined JP Duminy when scoreboard read 3 for 35 at the 10th over mark. JP and AB collected 90 good runs between them before Rob Nicol make the breakthrough, bringing the match back to balance but highly impressive Francois du Plessis stuck around with his captain.
With asking rate hovering little over run a ball, Du Plessis and AB accelerated their innings perfectly, adding 129 unbroken partnership and finished the match with 28 balls remaining.
| New Zealand innings (elected to bat) |
| Batsman |
|
R |
B |
4s |
6s |
| Rob Nicol |
c Kallis b Peterson |
30 |
58 |
4 |
0 |
| Martin Guptill |
c de Villiers b Tostosbe |
7 |
17 |
1 |
0 |
| Brendon McCullum |
c Peterson b Kallis |
56 |
67 |
2 |
2 |
| Kane Williamson |
c de Villiers b Tsotsobe |
55 |
69 |
4 |
0 |
| Jesse Ryder |
c Smith b Kallis |
6 |
12 |
1 |
0 |
| James Franklin |
c Amla b Morkel |
32 |
37 |
2 |
0 |
| Andrew Ellis |
b Steyn |
20 |
19 |
2 |
0 |
| Nathan McCullum |
b M Morkel |
15 |
15 |
0 |
1 |
| Doug Bracewell |
st de Villiers b Peterson |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
| Kyle Mills |
not out |
4 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
| Tim Southee |
not out |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Extra : |
24 (byes=4, lbyes=10, wides=7, noballs=3) |
| Total : |
253 runs in
50 overs for
9 wicket. RR = (
5.06 ).
|
| Fall of wickets : 1-25 (Guptill, 6.4 ov), 2-58 (Nicol, 15.3 ov), 3-137 (B McCullum, 29.6 ov), 4-153 (Ryder, 32.6 ov), 5-194 (Williamson, 40.6 ov), 6-211 (Franklin, 44.1 ov), 7-230 (Ellis, 46.6 ov), 8-234 (Bracewell, 47.4 ov), 9-249 (N McCullum, 49.5 ov) |
| Bowler |
Overs |
Maiden |
Runs |
W |
Extra |
| Lonwab Tsotsobe |
10 |
1 |
41 |
2 |
3nb, 1wd |
| Morne Morkel |
9 |
0 |
49 |
2 |
2 wides |
| Dale Steyn |
9 |
0 |
37 |
1 |
2 wides |
| Robin Peterson |
10 |
1 |
45 |
2 |
1 wide |
| JP Duminy |
5 |
0 |
22 |
0 |
|
| Jacques Kallis |
7 |
0 |
45 |
2 |
1 wide |
| South Africa innings (target = 254 from 50 overs) |
| Batsman |
|
R |
B |
4s |
6s |
| Hashim Amla |
b Southee |
8 |
10 |
1 |
0 |
| Graeme Smith |
c Ryder b Millis |
9 |
16 |
1 |
0 |
| Jacques Kallis |
c Williamson b Bracewell |
13 |
17 |
2 |
0 |
| JP Duminy |
c & b Nicol |
46 |
74 |
2 |
0 |
| AB de Villiers |
not out |
106 |
106 |
3 |
4 |
| Francois du Plessis |
not out |
66 |
49 |
9 |
1 |
| Albie Morkel |
|
|
|
|
|
| Robin Peterson |
|
|
|
|
|
| Dale Steyn |
|
|
|
|
|
| Morne Morkel |
|
|
|
|
|
| Lonwabo Tsotsobe |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Extra : |
6 (lbye=1, wides=5) |
| Total : |
254 runs in
45.2 overs for
4 wicket. RR = (
5.60 ).
|
| Fall of wickets : 1-17 (Amla, 3.6 ov), 2-17 (Smith, 4.2 ov), 3-35 (Kallis, 9.5 ov), 4-125 (Duminy, 30.1 ov) |
| Bowler |
Overs |
Maiden |
Runs |
W |
Extra |
| Kyle Mills |
7 |
0 |
27 |
1 |
|
| Tim Southee |
10 |
0 |
64 |
1 |
2 wides |
| Doug Bracewell |
10 |
1 |
61 |
1 |
|
| Nathan McCullum |
7 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
|
| Rob Nicol |
5 |
0 |
43 |
1 |
|
| Andrew Ellis |
5 |
0 |
26 |
0 |
|
| James Franklin |
1 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
|
| Kane Williamson |
0.2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 wide |
