ODI World Cup: South Africa thrash injury-hit New Zealand in Pune; Kiwis lose three in a row

New Zealand have slumped to their third successive defeat in the ODI World Cup after their latest loss to South Africa in Pune. Fired by aggressive tons from Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, South Africa won by 190runs to take the top spot in the World Cup standings. The defeat for New Zealand also means Pakistan can leapfrog New Zealand on Saturday (Nov 4) when they square off in the head-to-head match in Bengaluru.

New Zealand lose third successive match

Tasked to chase a mammoth 358-run target, the Proteas bowling attack clearly got the better of New Zealand as they won another one-sided contest. Their only defeat in the World Cup came against the Netherlands in a shocking turn-around. For New Zealand, only three batters got into double figures as Will Young (33), Daryl Mitchell (24) and Glenn Phillips (39) showed little resilience against the Proteas bowling attack before they were bowled out for 167 in 35.3 overs.

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For South Africa, spin maestro Keshav Maharaj starred with four wickets while Marco Jansen ended with a tally of 31/3.

Earlier, veteran Quinton de Kock was at his fluent best as wreaked havoc with the bat. De Kock needed 103 balls to score his 21st ton for the national side which saw him go level with great Herschelle Gibbs for most hundreds for South Africa. The hundred also saw him return to the top of the run scorer’s chart with 545 runs. Before getting out, the 30-year-old scored 114 runs off 116 deliveries that included 3 sixes and 10 fours and was striking at almost run-a-ball.

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What happened in South Africa innings?

De Kock along with Rassie van der Dussen stitched a partnership of 200 runs for the second wicket with the latter scoring 133. Van der Dussen’s innings consisted of 5 sixes and 9 fours and scored at a strike rate of 113. Towards the end, he was supported by David Miller who scored 53 off 30 balls to take South Africa to 357/4 in 50 overs. Tim Southee ended with 77/2 in 10 overs while James Nasheem and Trent Boult ended with one wicket each.

South Africa’s next match sees them square off against hosts India on Sunday (Nov 5) in the top-of-the-table contest at Eden Gardens before ending the league campaign against Afghanistan. New Zealand on the other hand face Pakistan in a must-win contest before they face Sri Lanka in the final league game at Bengaluru.