In a crushing loss to South Africa on Wednesday, pacer Marco Jansen finished with three wickets, while spinner Keshav Maharaj claimed four wickets. New Zealand managed to muster 167 in 35.3 overs. After defeating New Zealand by 190 runs, South Africa has taken back the top spot in the ICC World Cup 2023 points standings. After hitting 133 off 118 balls, Rassie van der Dussen was declared the Player of the Match.
South Africa, who batted first in Pune, increased their net run rate steadily throughout their innings, smashing 119 runs in the final 10 overs. Much of the innings was defined by Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, who were helped by David Miller’s 53 off 30, Heinrich Klaasen’s 15 off seven, and Aiden Markram’s six off the final ball of the innings, which was his only ball faced. With 50 overs, South Africa scored 357/4 in the end. Devon Conway’s dismissal to Jansen in the third over dealt New Zealand their first blow in the chase.
Earlier, for the second wicket, De Kock and van der Dussen amassed 200 runs off 189 balls. De Kock eventually fell on 114 off 116, becoming the third player after Kumar Sangakkara and Rohit Sharma to score four centuries in a single World Cup. Continued, Van der Dussen amassed his sixth hundred in one-day cricket. After that, he hit 133 off 118 balls before getting out in the 48th over. After that, Miller and Klaasen took over the final over, and Markram’s six off the final ball sealed the victory.
South Africa move to the top of the #CWC23 points table with a thumping win in Pune 💪#NZvSA 📝: https://t.co/MKlk1hNkJe pic.twitter.com/5w9RhDJ7Of
— ICC (@ICC) November 1, 2023
In Pune, New Zealand had won the toss and elected to bowl first. Tim Southee was substituted by the Black Caps for Lockie Ferguson, who hasn’t fully recovered from injury. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada made a comeback and took Tabraiz Shamsi’s place. Bavuma got off to a fast start, but in the ninth over, Trent Boult got the better of him. Before punishing New Zealand, whose injury woes grew worse when their star pacer Matt Henry was carted off midway through his sixth over, De Kock and Van der Dussen were cautious with how they scored.
With a victory over the Kiwis, South Africa, who have emerged as one of the most dangerous teams in this World Cup, felt much more confident about securing a place in the top four. South Africa has been a dominant force and has the best net run-rate (NRR) among the ten countries, save for the unexpected, shocking loss to the Netherlands. With Heinrich Klaasen leading the way in providing them with utterly ridiculous finishing touches and Quinton de Kock frequently turning his starts into hundreds at the top of the order, their batting lineup has been on overdrive. Additionally impressive has been South Africa’s bowling, led by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen.
After enjoying a flawless start to the tournament, New Zealand has suffered consecutive losses to Australia, South Africa, and India due to a growing list of niggles. Rachin Ravindra’s century helped the Black Caps nearly reach a 389 target in their previous game, giving them some momentum heading into their match against the Proteas. New Zealand was unable to get back to winning ways in Pune, and the Black Caps will face intense competition in their remaining group stage matches.
South Africa didn’t put a foot wrong in their first Men’s @cricketworldcup win over New Zealand since 1999.
Details 👇https://t.co/laGDwkQHTD
— ICC (@ICC) November 1, 2023
>>South Africa vs New Zealand highlights:
Observations from the NZ vs. SA World Cup 2023 match are as follows:
– South Africa’s 190-run victory over the Kiwis is tied for New Zealand’s fourth-heaviest ODI loss.
– With his 16th wicket, Marco Jansen became South Africa’s second-most successful bowler in a single World Cup.
– Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, and Kagiso Rabada shared five wickets to hold New Zealand to 905-4 in 18.3 overs.
– Quinton de Kock has achieved his fourth tournament century.
– In the middle overs, he and Rassie van der Dussen’s partnership crushed New Zealand.
Van der Dussen eventually scored 133 off 118, but De Kock eventually fell on 114 off 116.
The injury crisis for New Zealand grew worse when important pacer Matt Henry left the pitch midway through his sixth over.
– New Zealand is entering the game off the back of two straight losses.
– Tim Southee is expected to play in this tournament for the first time for New Zealand, while Kagiso Rabada is expected to return for South Africa.
