Where can you find South Africa?
"At the top of the points table."
Let's just assume Temba Bavuma said that in this boss pic. Cracking game today. See you tomorrow for more cricket
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A 190-run thumping
Glenn Phillips entertains with his 50-ball 60 that razed a few more runs off the target, but eventually the gulf between the two sides was too much today.
South Africa outclassing New Zealand in all three departments. The runs amassed by their top order gave their bowlers a bit of room to express themselves further, and that's what they did. Jansen with the powerplay domination, Maharaj with a well-earned four-for, and Coetzee-Rabada-Ngidi were all tidy.
New Zealand's last-wicket partnership was their second-highest. That says something of their batting show. Just lost wickets too regularly, especially six between overs 11 to 30. Their bowling was not extraordinary bad as SA's score suggests, but Henry's injury brewed up a perfect storm and the part-timers simply could not deliver to make up the deficit in quality and overs. However, a third loss in a row leaves them out of momentum. As it stands, they also have a huge injury list, so the problems are only getting longer.
1999 The last ODI WC where SA beat NZ. It ends a 5-game losing streak at ODI WCs
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We are officially playing for NRR
Well, if there's any team that knows the benefit of NRR, it is New Zealand. At the 2019 WC, they qualified as the fourth team into the semis based on NRR, inching past Pakistan at fifth when both were on 11 pts.
So that's what is happening now with the game decided. Henry is not interested in running. He's only fending or leaving. And Phillips is not searching for singles either. He's going boundary or dot. This pair has added eight in 17 balls.
Fair enough, I suppose. NZ 140/9 in 32.4 overs
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Injury update: Neesham
Straight from the comms team of the NZ team: "Jimmy Neesham batted at number nine today after receiving treatment on his right wrist which was struck by the ball while bowling in the first innings.
"An X-ray has cleared him of any broken bones."
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Henry is a fighter
He could only bowl half his overs. The medical team said he will go for scans tomorrow for his hamstring issue. But that doesn't stop Matt Henry from (metaphorically) limping out as the No. 11.
I hope this is a calculated risk because runs are important but not at the cost of your premier fast bowler having his injury aggravated. Don't expect him to run too much either. NZ 133/9 with Maharaj searching for a fifth.
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There's one guy NZ can call upon...
... he's sitting right here in Pune. Enjoying some desi sweets with AB de Villiers ahead of this fixture.
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Picture perfect
Before first ball today, Trent Boult was shadow batting in the middle. I doubt he was expecting to be needed today, but such are the circumstances, he walks in at No. 10. Swats a boundary off his fifth ball, so maybe visualising does help after all!
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Southee gone, Neesham gingerly, NZ in hot soup
Jansen's third wicket has brought in Neesham at No. 9 but his hand is bothering him. Jansen tests him with a few short balls and Neesham is subconsciously playing it very softly as if he's gripping the bat very loosely. He's also slow to bring the bat down in a close LBW shout that goes his way.
If Neesham isn't fit for Saturday's game against Pakistan, and Henry can't recover from his hamstring strain either, then New Zealand may be asking people to fly in! They'll have to take a call at some point because they'll know whether a player is fit much much later and they can't make decisions that late. Remember, they're running out of fit players with Williamson (thumb), Chapman (calf) and Ferguson (achilles) also recovering.
As it stands, only 10 players are fully fit. Whoever they call will first be a "travelling reserve", and if they are needed to play, then the ICC will have to sign off on that and New Zealand will have to withdraw one of the five injured players from the squad.
Before I can press send, Neesham has also been castled by Maharaj getting a ball to turn in. Maharaj's third sends New Zealand sliding at 110/8
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A round of applause for Pune!
Official attendance: 31, 914
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Left-arm spinner gets left-arm spinner!
Maharaj enjoyed getting Santner out with a ball that turned in classically and knocked the stump back. Maharaj did not like Santner clattering him for four in the previous delivery so it was quite the comeback from the South African in that regard.
NZ are 100/6 in 23.1 overs but Neesham does not come out. He may not have been ready getting treatment on his bruised right hand from the first innings, and therefore Tim Southee is the one who walks out. Neesham is padded up so we'll see him bat, but only when necessary it seems. Unlikely that Matt Henry will bat today so NZ have one wicket less to play with.
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NZ's back being broken
At 91/5, New Zealand are in big trouble. And at some point, they'll also have to keep an eye on that net run rate, they don't want to have a big loss. I can count atleast six teams that benefit from New Zealand losing big because we may have a situation of multiple teams on 8 points fighting for the fourth spot.
If NZ do lose, this would be their third loss in a row and they have a tough game against Pakistan and a tricky one against Sri Lanka to follow.
Will New Zealand make the semis?
32.8K votesNo, they will lose to SA + Pak, and maybe SL
Yes, but barely
Yes, comfortably - don't stress
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NZ in big trouble!
Jansen adds another to his name with Ravindra pulling to fine leg, and Coetzee recovers well in his first over to bowl a teasing delivery to Young that he ends up half-committing to. He gets a tickle behind and New Zealand are 57/3
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Did SA finish below par?!
On our ESPNcricinfo live show, our experts felt South Africa's two centurions might've slowed down towards their milestones and generally as a team didn't maximise their potential. Over on Twitter, I spotted Irfan Pathan saying South Africa's 120 dots was way too much.
Might be something we come back to if New Zealand go on to win. At 36/1, ESPNcricinfo's forecaster gives them only 20% chance at this point though.
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Jansen sets up Conway
length ball, length ball, length ball, length ball. And then Marco Jansen drops the length slightly more than the rest, and Conway cuts the rising delivery to a diving second slip. Conway's struggles continue and Jansen once again provides the powerplay breakthrough.
He's been red-hot in powerplays now making it 11 wickets in that period, by far the highest wicket-taker in the first ten overs. He is especially potent in overs 1-10 against left-hand batters like Conway, taking a wicket every 9.2 deliveries with an average of 7 at this WC.
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Second innings underway
How do NZ approach this? They have one of the best batting units of this WC too (ave 51.3 / wicket) and have a strike-rate of 107 that's second only to South Africa.
With eight batters scoring atleast one half-century in this campaign, they're not reliant on just one or two batters for their runs which also is a positive.
But Devon Conway will have to step up. He has not touched fifty since his century against England in the tournament opener. He does have a whopping 57.8 average chasing - with three fifties and three centuries in 17 innings.
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A mammoth total
Miller gets a 29-ball fifty. 119 runs in the last ten overs. And Markram finishes the innings on a high by swatting a six off his only ball.
South Africa finish on 357/4 and you have to wonder, why did NZ invite them to bat first after winning the toss?
The decision looked even worse when Henry broke down with a hamstring issue. Neesham was called on to complete some overs and his 5.3 overs leaked 69 runs at an economy of 12.54. Phillips and Ravindra were expensive too, as was Southee who was hit for 77 in 10 overs. Boult was the pick of the NZ bowlers with 1-49, but he was poor in the field, which added to NZ's misery.
de Kock talks to the broadcasters and says the pitch was tough early on, made even tougher by NZ bowling well with the new ball. He hopes 357 will be enough because he also concedes that the wicket got better to bat as the sun set.
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Rassie falls for 133... but is that good news for NZ?
Probably not with Heinrich Klaasen (the tournament's highest six-hitter as it stands) walking in to join David Miller.
Southee's slower one undoes van der Dussen with South Africa 325/3 in 48 overs. Miller has already moved to 40 in 24.
Meanwhile, more landmark achievements ⬇️
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Scoring 300 for fun
When SA bat these days, be assured that some record or the other will tumble. One more now,
Consecutive 300-plus totals while batting first in men's ODIs:
8* - South Africa, 2023
7 - Australia, 2007
7 - England, 2019
8* - South Africa, 2023
7 - Australia, 2007
7 - England, 2019
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SA set six-hitting record
77 Most sixes hit by a team (SA) in one WC edition
Miller, rather aptly, gets a chance to set that record by pumping Phillips for six over long off. For good measure, he hits the 78th one next ball by pulling a short one for half-a-dozen more.
England had hit 76 at the last WC but in 11 innings. SA got there before completing their seventh. (Full list here)
SA 304/2 in 45.3 overs
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Forgettable fielding from Boult
Boult drops another chance at long off and that's Rassie van Der Dussen getting a reprieve from the same fielder twice in this innings. Rassie punishes NZ next over with a six off Southee to rub it in further.
Talking about NZ's fielding, they've had a bad one at this WC. Coming into this match, they had dropped 13 of the 37 catches that came their way this tournament - add in the two drops today and that's simply terrible from a team that maintains such high standards when it comes to "controlling the controllables."
For now, SA have capitalised on that and are 290/2 in 45 overs. Phillips to bowl the 46th!
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Santner streak snapped
Ten wicketless overs for Mitchell Santner (0-58) today. At this WC, New Zealand have relied on him (and Phillips, alongside Ravindra occasionally) to control the middle overs. They failed to do it today, and may face even more carnage later if Latham uses the part-timers to make up for Henry's overs.
7 Number of ODIs in a row that Santner got atleast 1 wicket
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Rassie van der Delightful!
A well-crafted century from South Africa's No. 3 only beautifies this batting line-up further. He was the only one not among the runs coming into the World Cup, and a century against a bowling unit of such high quality with some difficult periods to survive early on will really boost his confidence as South Africa move towards the business end of the tournament.
As mentioned earlier in the blog, he had failed to cross 30 in 10 of his 17 ODI innings in 2023 and coming into this game his average of 15.8 against spin was the second-lowest among all players at this WC.
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200 and out...
... I'm talking about the double-century stand here. de Kock tries to chase a wide one, and cuts straight to point. A few metres either way and it was four, instead, he's gone and South Africa are 238 for 2 in 40 overs.
Some relief for NZ with these two dominating for the last 2 and a half hours. As expected, Markram doesn't come out, and Miller gets promoted. Santner with two overs to go might be a factor in this Miller decision.
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ICYMI, Bazball is in the dictionary...
...and ESPNcricinfo's UK editor Andrew Miller who coined the term says "sorry, not sorry" to everyone for his contribution. Something for fans of New Zealand cricket to, err, celebrate?
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Quinton one ton short of quint-ton
A pull off Neesham for six, and Quinton de Kock has reached his fourth ODI World Cup century of 2023! "In the form of his life", exclaims Ian Smith as he soaks in the applause.
de Kock now joins an extraordinary list of only 3 people with 4+ centuries in one World Cup. But its all very bittersweet because he is retiring from ODIs after this WC.
Today's century was unusually unattractive at the start with his game against spin this innings' landmark feature. He's always been a bully of ordinary bowling, and Southee and Neesham have offered him opportunities to pounce. de Kock's strike-rate is now exactly 100 as his score moves to 107.
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#InjuryWatch: James Neesham
Neesham bowls a full toss and gets hit right back by de Kock. Takes a blow on his bowling hand and there are a few worried faces near him. They really don't have any more fielders In the dug out tbh. They had released Kyle Jamieson who was there as cover to go back and play Plunket Shield. For now, Neesham should be good to bowl, aided by the magic spray. Very nearly takes a wicket too, but Boult drops Rassie while running back from mid off, giving him a reprieve on 72.
SA 194/1 in 35 overs
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Is Rob Walter SA's secret sauce?
Its no secret South Africa have a terrible World Cup record against New Zealand, but for this World Cup, they do have an insider from the NZ system in their ranks. The South Africa white-ball coach Rob Walter has coached extensively in New Zealand, including with NZ A, and has closely worked with many players in the Black Caps XI.
Has that been one reason behind how well these two have batted this afternoon? Read this fascinating chat with Rob Walter breaking down the opposition he knows so well.
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More woe for NZ: Henry won't be bowling
Henry's hamstring injury is serious enough for now that he won't be bowling this innings, according to NZ media team.
That's more misery for NZ with this partnership approaching 150, the run-rate nearing 5.5 and plenty of overs to go. Latham will also have to juggle his bowling around smartly, with one hand now tied behind his back following the injury update.
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#InjuryWatch: Matt Henry
Matt Henry is off the field. With 4.3 overs still left for him to bowl. Hamstring issue with his right leg. From what I understand, that is not good but if its precautionary, Henry can still bowl within himself and complete his spell if needed.
However, if its more serious (we'll know soon as the innings moves along), Latham will have some thinking to do. Ravindra's been expensive and Neesham is a risky option against this South Africa line-up. But this surface is not the usual Pune pitch, and the three balls Neesham bowled to complete Henry's half over was promising from NZ's perspective.
Here's a thought: if Henry is indeed not fit to field/bowl right now, then New Zealand effectively have only 11 fit players in their squad with Sodhi now fielding as the 12th man. Ferguson, Williamson, Chapman are also injured. If another NZ fielder needs a break, I wonder who will field as the second sub!
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Rassie not far behind
We've been talking about de Kock because he deserves to be celebrated this WC. Even if this hasn't been his best innings, he has that ability to score runs consistently. Not only is he this tournament's leading run-getter (approaching 500 now), he is now also the record holder for South Africa's best batter at one World Cup, beating Kallis' record.
However, the No. 3 Rassie van der Dussen deserves some love now. He's had a below-par 2023 (ave 33.4) in comparison to the high standards he's set for himself since 2019. He's crossed 30 in only 7 out of 17 games this year and struggles against spin in particular, but today has found his rhythm early. He's been a strong contender in this partnership that has touched 100 in 112 balls.
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New Zealand, beware of de Kock!
de Kock's first 39 balls: 22 runs
de Kock's next 23 balls: 28 runs
de Kock's next 23 balls: 28 runs
That's the breakdown of Quinton's half-century, getting there in the 21st over. He has three World Cup centuries already this tournament, and here's a stat: He has a conversion rate of 100% from 50 to centuries in India, doing that five times in all.
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Six to get to 100
The scoring rate has been upped as the ball has got old. And South Africa touch 100 with a six in the 21st over with Rachin Ravindra's first ball of the day. A juicy full toss and Rassie doesn't miss out.
This partnership of 68 in 74 balls is setting SA up for a classic SA platform, and NZ are suddenly finding it tough to muster any response.
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de Kock takes off?
There's only two balls for evidence, but it looks like de Kock has had enough. Pulls Southee's short ball for four, then run down the track to thump him for six down the V. The 12-run over drags SA to 73/1 in 16 overs
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When will de Kock change gears?
De Kock has scored only 21 runs in his first 38 balls. But it's not been a scratchy innings - the kind where batters attempt shots but fail to find their timing.
No, no. This has been one where he has respected Boult and Henry because of their new-ball prowess and enjoyed bit of relief with Bavuma's hitting in the early tussle. Even with bowling changes, de Kock has continued his careful batting, setting his sights on a long innings, and perhaps a fourth century of this World Cup. He's hit just one four thus far.
The one worrying number is South Africa's 50 dot balls in the first 13.1 overs - de Kock will have to change gears at some point, the question is, when? Southee and Santner are now operating, with Rachin Ravindra to follow soon according to the NZ template. de Kock could go after the spinners because of his wonderful average of 122 and SR of 118 against non-offspin bowlers in ODIs since 2021. The surface, though, is assisting Santner's slow spin so its a cat-and-mouse game over there.
South Africa 60/1 in 14.3 overs
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Jolt from Boult
Bavuma is gone. And it's Boult's terrific delivery angling across + Latham's belief in keeping a slip fielder that's earned a wicket. They stayed patient with that slip fielder even when there was temptation to put him in near cover to plug the gap, especially against Bavuma.
Bavuma was looking the more enterprising one here with de Kock going at a 50 strike-rate for most of this first powerplay, so the captain has to make the long way back. On the way out, though, he has a quick chat with Rassie van der Dussen on the field and Aiden Markram while walking up the stairs. Always important to pass info on how the pitch is behaving.
South Africa 38/1 in nine overs
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The early tussle
Temba Bavuma's cover drive is underrated. After he and de Kock carefully navigated the first two overs, the captain punishes Henry twice in the third over for going too full. Then in the fifth, when Henry drops his length slightly, Bavuma lifts him for six in the same direction. That's the tournament's 400th six, and has made up for an otherwise slow SA start due to Henry and Boult bowling well.
This is also a big test for Trent Boult, who has a shockingly poor strike-rate of 51.3 in the powerplay and an even worse SR of 55.7 between overs 11-40 in ODIs in Asia. Overall in India, his powerplay SR of 64.8 and average of 49.2 is his worst among all touring countries. In 13 games here, he only has five powerplay wickets. What's going his way is his terrific record against de Kock: five wickets in eight ODIs
South Africa 22/0 in 6 overs
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#AskTheAudience
South Africa have pumped massive scores batting first at the World Cup. In their last seven ODIs batting first, they've pumped 300+ every time. New Zealand today have offered them the same chance at the toss. What do you think of that decision?
Good toss to lose for South Africa?
8.3K votesYes - they prefer batting first
Not really - NZ will be better chasing
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Match Day LIVE and Toss updates
The news coming in is that Tim Southee will be playing his first game of this World Cup, with Lockie Ferguson not yet recovering from injury. South Africa bring in Kagiso Rabada on this surface since he's fit again, and out goes Tabraiz Shamsi.
Latham says that even in their recent defeats, they've been playing good cricket. He also quietly mentions the warm-up fixture which NZ won convincingly. Bavuma wants to run with the momentum.
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History is on NZ's side
1999 The last time SA beat NZ in the ODI World Cup
ALSO READ: 20 GREATEST ODIS: NO. 4 - Elation and despair duel in Auckland
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Its New Zealand vs South Africa (and others)
South Africa and New Zealand sure love their cricket, but nothing unites the country like their rugby. The Springboks recently beat the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup final 12-11, and this seems like a chance for the Proteas to do a double with the league-stage win in cricket too. Temba Bavuma and others in South Africa have spoken about how last week's rugby triumph has rejuvenated their own dreams of a Cricket World Cup title, today in Pune presents an excellent opportunity to take another step in that direction with a win over their old rivals.
New Zealand, the steadiest of all World Cup sides in recent history, look set to make the semis like their opponents but find themselves looking to avoid a hat-trick of losses. Easy fixtures early on helped them rack up the points, but the losses against India and Australia have halted their momentum. Other teams chasing the semi pack also also rooting for a New Zealand defeat, because the longer the Black Caps stay on eight points, the better the chances for teams like Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and England (yes, even England!)
Plenty of subplots then. Welcome to Match 32.
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