Pune, November 2: South Africa moved to the top of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup points table after an impressive 190-run win over New Zealand in a league stage match at the MCA Stadium on Wednesday.
In their batting innings, South Africa posted a strong score of 357/4, largely due to a remarkable 200-run partnership for the second wicket between centurions Quinton de Kock (116) and Rassie van der Dussen (133). David Miller’s inning of 53 runs further strengthened the Proteas’ score.
During New Zealand’s chase, Marco Jensen’s early double breakthroughs in the early powerplay set the tone, while Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada also made important contributions with wickets. Four decisive strikes from spinner Keshav Maharaj resulted in New Zealand being bundled out for 167 runs in 35.3 overs, ensuring South Africa’s emphatic victory.
Although New Zealand attempted to accelerate their runs while chasing 358, they lost wickets early, with Devon Conway falling to a sharp catch by Aiden Markram off Jensen. Johnson got another important wicket by dismissing Ravindra in the ninth over. Coetzee and Rabada maintained the pressure and took important wickets, leading to the fall of New Zealand captain Tom Latham.
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Despite the efforts of Daryl Mitchell for the Blackcaps, New Zealand’s position was further weakened when Maharaj dismissed him in the 19th over. Glenn Phillips put up some resistance and managed to score a half-century, yet New Zealand struggled against the Proteas bowlers, losing wickets early and eventually ending their innings in the 36th over.
In the previous innings, New Zealand was successful in forcing South Africa to score runs. Captain Temba Bavuma played with confidence but lost to Trent Boult. However, the partnership of van der Dussen and de Kock carried the Proteas’ innings, with aggressive stroke play contributing to their substantial score.
New Zealand faced challenges, particularly due to injuries within their team, as Matt Henry left the field with a hamstring injury. De Kock’s dismissal was a breakthrough for New Zealand, but the arrival of the aggressive Miller increased South Africa’s dominance. With van der Dussen, Miller formed a quickfire 78-run partnership, further cementing South Africa’s strong position in the game.
