South Africa and New Zealand face off for a three-match One-Day global series starting on Wednesday (August 19) in Centurion after sharing the Twenty20 worldwide series. Fast bowler Dale Steyn and spinner Imran Tahir return to the lineup after sitting out the T20 games.
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South Africa will look for revenge as the Kiwis had knocked out the Proteas in the World Cup semi-final.
New Zealand will not want the unsafe de Villiers to open as he is capable of changing the course of the game in a matter of minutes. visitors need to win the second T20 and gather some confidence. Williamson seemed to be the aggressor initially, but once Guptill got his eye in, he too was smashing the ball to all parts.
Guptill’s half-century at the top of the order sent the New Zealanders to 177-7 in 20 overs batting first at Supersport Park in Centurion. Their attack adapted and studded South Africa’s scorecard with scalps to ensure the hosts were never quite in a chase of 178.
Opening batsman Martin Guptill has hailed his side’s performance in beating South Africa in the second T20 cricket worldwide to draw the two-match series.
Star batsman and stand-in captain Kane Williamson, for instance, is labelled as liable to drive “on the up” and the plan is to shape the ball away from him to encourage a false shot.
Farhaan Behardien top-scored for South Africa with 36 from 33 balls, but his partnership of 37 with David Miller (29) was the only real resistance from the Proteas while Rilee Rossouw (26) also tried to rebuild. Van Wyk lofted the left-handed bowler over the covers, behind square and then into the off-side stands to start South Africa’s acceleration.
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Grant Elliott followed Guptill in the following over when he was trapped on the front pad by a tossed up delivery from Phangiso, but still, New Zealand did not slow down. Leie and Phangiso weren’t as influential as their New Zealand counterparts, Ish Sodhi (2/27) and Nathan McCullum (2/31) who kept the pressure on the South Africans with McCullum’s dismissal of De Villiers in the seventh over, a turning point in the home side’s innings.
