New Zealand faced South Africa in Greenfield Stadium in Karnataka as the World Cup preparations reached the ultimate stage. The Kiwis, fresh from their brilliant series win against Bangladesh, were looking to build on their crushing win against Pakistan. South Africa was also eager to start well on Indian soil after their inspiring comeback series win against the Australians. It was a dress rehearsal for the two teams who will clash again on 1st November.
Team Lineups
All the players who have been included in the World Cup squads would be eligible to bowl and bat as this is not a recognized one-day international.
South Africa Squad
1. Quinton de Kock 2. Reeza Hendricks 3. Rassie van der Dussen 4. Aiden Markram (Cap.) 5. Heinrich Klassen 6. David Miller 7. Marco Jansen 8. Andile Phehlukwayo 9. Gerald Koetzee 10. Keshav Maharaj 11. Kagiso Rabada 12. Lungi Ngidi 13. Lizaad Williams 14. Tabraiz Shamsi 15. Temba Bavuma
New Zealand Squad
1. Devon Conway 2. Will Young 3. Kane Willamson (Cap.) 4. Tom Latham 5. Glenn Phillips 6. Mark Chapman 7. Jimmy Neesham 8. Mitchell Santner 9. Daryl Mitchell 10. Rachin Ravindra 11. Ish Sodhi 12. Matt Henry 13. Trent Boult 14. Lockie Ferguson 15. Tim Southee
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first.
Captaincy & Tactics
New Zealand has posted 300+ scores in successive matches and all of their batsmen have spent valuable time on the pitch. They were eager to build the innings and made full use of the slog overs with some explosive hitting in the later part.
South African captain Markram was willing to make everyone bowl. Even Klassen chose to have a go with the ball. They were cautious with the early ball when they came out to bat with Bavuma missing from the team.
Batting Analysis
New Zealand flexed their batting muscles and put enough runs on the board once again. Their batting form is encouraging and will come in handy in a World Cup that is expected to have high-scoring games. Kane Williamson scored a quickfire 51 which will please the New Zealanders as the legendary batter continues his return to fitness. Both Conway and Phillips were impressive on the back foot which yielded a combined percentage of 59% of runs for the two.
All the batsmen in the South African lineup average over 40 except Reeza Henricks. The poise of de Kock and the explosive nature of the middle order will make South Africa dangerous on Indian batting-friendly tracks. Klassen has been demolishing opponents with willow in hand and this game was no exception as the bowlers struggled to find their rhythm in front of the Protea batter.
Bowling Analysis
South Africa didn’t bowl particularly well except for Ngidi and Jansen. The spin department failed in this match and 15 overs of spin yielded more than 7 runs per over. But Jansen used his height well to get some bounce from the pitch. The towering all-rounder will be a valuable force in the World Cup for South Africa with IPL experience.
Boult and Henry bowled in a partnership and cost just 35 from their combined ten overs. 68% of their deliveries were pitching on good lengths making it harder for the batsmen to negotiate. Santner and Sodi are mostly likely to play as a spin duo in the World Cup and they picked up a wicket each to round up their World Cup preparations.
Fielding Analysis
Both sides are known to be athletic and energetic, this game was no exception. Glenn Phillps was the pick of the bunch with some brilliant dives and fast throws. Rabada, Markram, Boult, and Latham – all of the players held onto the ball to complete regulation catches.
Key Performances
Quinton de Kock played the practice match with courage and determination, the wicketkeeper-batsman accumulated 84 runs. The 30-year-old looked to be on course to guide his country to victory, but the weather put a premature end to his endeavors. He will be playing in his last World Cup after deciding to call time on his international career. His batting average of 47.12 at a healthy strike of 98.95 makes him a prime candidate to lead the South African batting order.
Trent Boult will also be a man to watch in the World Cup after bagging 39 wickets already in his illustrious career. He is very lethal with the new ball and this match also helped him in his recovery journey to full fitness.
Devon Conway and Tom Latham posted brilliant centuries and New Zealand put a gigantic title on the board. The New Zealanders batted with a staggering 82% of control, and the Kiwil fans will hope for a similar type of performance in the World Cup.
Turning Point
The early spells with the ball by Boult and Henry ultimately won the match for New Zealand. Both pacers were getting the ball to swing and flying past the outside edge. Boult trapped Henricks for an LBW and caused troubles persistently for the South African top order. Quinton de Kock gradually recovered the run rate, but the dip in the early ultimately had them lacking according to the DLS method.
Match Result
New Zealand won the thrilling game by 7 runs (DLS method)
Player of the Match
There was no official Man of the Match award as it was a warm-up game
Brief Scorecard
| New Zealand Total: 321/6 (50 overs) | South Africa Total: 211/4 (37 overs) |
| D. Conway 78 (73) | Q de Kock 84* (89) |
| Tom Latham 52 (56) | R. van der Dussen 51 (56) |
| L. Ngidi 3/33 | T. Bolt 2/20 |
| M. Jansen 3/45 | M. Santner 1/29 |
Match Highlights
https://youtu.be/0Ef37FI9knU?si=59RYbzf0oh82r5ly
Match Wrap-Up
It was an enthralling encounter between two giants of the modern game but in the end unfortunately the spectators were left disappointed by the weather. New Zealand batted really well to put a good score on the board. Quinton de Kock also played brilliantly to keep up with the lofty run-rate. New Zealand will face favorites England in the opening game of the 2023 World Cup on Thursday. The Proteas start their campaign on Sunday against Sri Lanka in Delhi.
