New Zealand produced a thoughtful and efficient performance in Potchefstroom yesterday to ensure this short One-Day series will have a decider in Durban on Wednesday.
In comparison, South Africa were naïve and lethargic – hardly the sort of response their captain AB de Villiers wanted after he’d expressed concern about their lack of energy when fielding at Centurion.
The difference yesterday lay in how New Zealand read and then adapted to conditions at Senwes Park. Usually an easy-paced pitch, playing cricket at this ground in August saw the surface very slow, one on which a more patient approach – with bat and with ball – was required. New Zealand managed that – South Africa patently did not.
First with the bat, South Africa failed to revise their plans according to the conditions and allowed the New Zealand bowlers to assume control. Then with the ball, they failed to build pressure by allowing too many loose deliveries – short and wide ones. Strangely, given the size of their target, they didn’t attack New Zealand’s openers, with their premier bowler Dale Steyn not opening the bowling.
Of course the tourists deserve some credit; they assessed the slow and sticky pitch conditions quickly and adjusted their strategies accordingly. Unlike at Centurion, where they used the short ball frequently, at Senwes Park it was crucial to bowl straight and slightly fuller to frustrate the batsmen.
South Africa were determined to keep up the attacking plan perhaps believing that 300 was par when in fact 30 runs less would have made for a competitive total.
They lost Morné van Wyk and Hashim Amla early to Adam Milne, but there was still enough time in the innings to construct a total that would have been defendable. It needed Rilee Rossouw and De Villiers to do that, but then impatience got the better of Rossouw – caught at mid-off trying to play a lofted off-drive – and the South African captain was undone by one that ‘stopped’ and bounced on him which he turned to Martin Guptill at midwicket.
Farhaan Behardien was the only South African batsmen who came to terms with the demands of the surface. Only when offered – or in some instances creating – some short deliveries from leg-spinner Ish Sodhi did he look to hit hard and it paid dividends in that he mustered the only innings of substance for the home team making 70 (87b, 5x4, 1x6).
He ran well too after manipulating the ball into gaps and it was surprising none of the other batsmen had made that adjustment. Batting on such a surface requires good partnerships too, and as can be seen from South Africa’s mediocre total, there were none. Behardien’s seventh wicket stand of 54 with Vernon Philander was the best, but what South Africa needed was one of substance in the top four and that didn’t happen. De Villiers and Rossouw added 48 for third wicket – but with both having got starts, that stand needed to be 100 runs more.
Doug Bracewell was the outstanding bowler for the Black Caps, sticking perfectly to the straight and full plan to finish with figures of 3/31 while Ben Wheeler (0/39) and Milne (2/39) showed plenty of smarts and in the latter’s case a great deal of pace.
New Zealand prospered where South Africa failed, creating a big partnership at the top the innings between openers Tom Latham and Guptill. That stand of 126 cemented New Zealand’s dominance in the game with Latham making 64 and Guptill continuing his sparkling form with a well judged century – the ninth of his career. His unbeaten 103 came off 134 balls and included nine fours and three sixes.
South Africa’s militaristic fielding session at the Wanderers on Friday bore no fruit yesterday as three catches were put down, all in Guptill’s favour – with David Wiese dropping his fourth catch of the series – a further sign of a lackadaisical performance.
South Africa 204 all out
New Zealand 207/2
New Zealand win by 8 wickets - The Star