Kane Williamson scored 133 runs off 113 balls as New Zealand beat Temba Bavuma’s South Africa by six wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium to reach the final of the ODI tri-series on Pakistani soil. Kane Williamson’s unbeaten 133 fired New Zealand to the final of the ODI tri-series in Pakistan.
The former skipper Kane Williamson’s stupendous knock helped the Black Caps secure a comprehensive six-wicket win against Temba Bavuma’s South Africa on Monday, February 10 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Matthew Breetzke’s record-breaking 150 off 148 earlier in the day went in vain.
New Zealand’s star batter Kane Williamson silenced his critics with a magnificent century in the second ODI of the ongoing Tri-Series against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Monday. This marked Kane Williamson’s first one-day international (ODI) hundred in over five years, as he played a pivotal role in New Zealand’s chase of a stiff 305-run target.
Matthew Breetzke’s majestic 150 on debut went in vain as New Zealand cruised to a comfortable six-wicket win against South Africa in the second One-Day International of the tri-nation series, in Lahore, on Monday. The chase was led by Kane Williamson (133*) and Devon Conway (97) as New Zealand overhauled South Africa’s total of 304/6 with eight balls to spare to register their second consecutive victory. The duo’s efforts trumped Breetzke’s masterclass wherein he registered the highest score by an ODI debutant.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : “Because of the grass covering and given the weather conditions, there’ll be something for the fast bowlers at the start. Eventually, the grass will help the ball to slide onto the bat in a better way and the batters can express themselves. It’s a typical Gaddafi Stadium pitch. Get through the initial spell and there’s lot of runs and the pitch won’t change at all because it’s a day game. Runs and more runs.” reckons Bazid Khan and Aamer Sohail.
Toss : New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and chose to bowl with one change in the playing XI as Devon Conway comes in for injured Rachin Ravindra. South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma batting first has given chances to as many as four debutants in the playing XI.
Debutant Matthew Breetzke’s historic 150 on debut powers SA to 304 for 6 in 50 overs
Put in to bat, South Africa lost the wicket of skipper Temba Bavuma fairly early, in the eighth over, gloving a hook off William O’Rourke to the ‘keeper. However, Breetzke and Jason Smith laid a strong foundation with their second-wicket stand of 93. Smith was a bit tentative early on in his innings, but with Breetzke taking the attack to the bowlers, and with a flurry of wides by O’Rourke, the scoreboard moved at a decent pace.
After choosing to bowl first in the only day game of the series, New Zealand struck early when Will O’Rourke bounced Temba Bavuma out as he edged a pull. Bavuma had looked confident for his 23-ball 20 but New Zealand’s O’Rourke’s consistent and aggressive approach with the short ball paid off.
Breetzke and Jason Smith combined for a second-wicket stand of 93 but their scoring rate of 5.31 runs to the over was testament to New Zealand’s squeeze. South Africa struck only two fours and three sixes in the 17 overs between Bavuma’s dismissal and Smith’s run-out, as they tried to take on Mitchell Santner but were largely kept quiet. In that time, Breetzke brought up fifty off 68 balls.
Smith reserved his attack for the spinners, sweeping Mitchell Santner for a boundary, going down the track against Michael Bracewell and then clobbering Santner for another six over mid wicket. However, the push for a non-existent single ended up in his innings getting cut short with a run-out. Kyle Verreynne’s failed reverse sweep early in his innings had him castled and South Africa were soon reduced to 132 for 3 in the 27th over.
When Smith was run-out, New Zealand had an opportunity to get into an inexperienced middle order and they took it. Kyle Verreynne tried to reverse-sweep the fourth ball he faced, missed and was bowled by Michael Bracewell. Another quiet period followed, in which South Africa only hit one boundary in 11 overs, as the combination of Ben Sears, Bracewell and Matt Henry stuck to their disciplines.
Nonetheless, Wiaan Mulder and Breetzke ensured that the momentum wasn’t lost. The duo added 131 runs for the third wicket which became the backbone of South Africa’s eventual total. The double blow, however, slowed down their progress through the middle overs. It was eventually in the 38th over when Breetzke broke the shackles and smashed Matt Henry for a boundary and a six.
He then cut William O’Rourke through backward point for a boundary to bring up his century, and then smashed the pacer for another boundary and a six. The most brutal of the assault in the death overs was reserved for Ben Sears, taking him apart in two successive overs for 14 and 20 runs respectively before falling on 150.
South Africa were 196 for 3 entering the last 10 overs and 280 looked a distance away. Breetzke took it on himself to get them there. He dispatched O’Rourke through deep third to bring up his century off 128 balls in the 41st over, and then put foot down. His next fifty runs came off 19 balls as he brought out his full range. His 150 came in an over where he hit Sears for 20.
For a while on Monday, Matthew Breetzke had Lahore’s limelight all to himself. He did, after all, make the highest score by a debutant among all the 3,037 men who have played ODIs. Breetzke’s 150, which came off 148 balls with 11 fours and five sixes, broke a record that has stood for 13 days short of 48 years. Before Monday, the best effort by a man on debut was Desmond Haynes’ 148 against Australia in St John’s, Antigua in February 1978.
Mulder, who hadn’t found that gear in his innings till then, went after Henry in the last few overs to help South Africa past the 300-run mark before getting dismissed in the penultimate over. Just as it seemed Breetzke could be eyeing a double, he mis-read a Henry slower ball and was caught at mid-off. Wiaan Mulder, who had largely operated as a spectator to that point, had the responsibility to finish off the innings but was fortunate to have an inside-edge trickle away for four before he established some control.
He reached his second ODI fifty with a crunching cover drive off Henry, off the 54th ball he faced, and took South Africa over 300 with a four through short fine in the penultimate over. South Africa got only four runs off their final eight balls.
Kane Williamson’s 133 runs powers New Zealand to the tri series final
In response, New Zealand barely looked in any trouble. Will Young was dropped in the third over, on 6. Even as he didn’t go on to add much to his personal score, in the company of Conway, he added 50 runs for the opening stand before departing in the 10th over. But that was just a minor blip to New Zealand’s charge as Conway and Kane Williamson put on 187 runs for the second wicket.
It was not enough. New Zealand built slowly but got ahead of the required run rate just after the halfway stage of their innings and were in full control from there. They had only lost Will Young at that point, for 19, though he should have been out for 6 in the third over. Smith dropped Young at backward point off Ngidi but the miss did not prove too costly.
His dismissal brought Conway and Kane Williamson together and there was one nervy moment, when Kane Williamson inside-edged Junior Dala past Verreynne but he soon settled into a rhythm and put on a masterful display of run-scoring, all around the wicket. His wagon wheel was almost entirely symmetrical, with 67 runs on the off side and 66 on the leg side and the highlights included four strong cut shots and a creative ramp over Verreynne as he leaned back to an Ngidi delivery.
Equally, Kane Williamson’s pacing of his innings was perfect. He gave himself time to get in, all while scoring at a run-a-ball, and then took over the more dominant role from Conway, who got to fifty first. Conway’s half-century came off 64 balls, before Kane Williamson’s reached his, off 44 balls, with a massive six over mid-on off Shamsi. It was also Kane Williamson’s fourth successive fifty-plus ODI score in Pakistan. He took a liking to Mpongwana and Ngidi’s short-balls while Conway took on Shamsi and South Africa had no answers.
The duo rotated the strike frequently and were also quick to pounce on boundary opportunities without having to take too many risks. Interestingly, Kane Williamson came down the track and sent a half-volley by Tabraiz Shamsi over the long on fence to bring up his half-century in the 24th over.
While Conway was conservative with his approach, Kane Williamson was moving along at faster than run-a-ball through the first half of the respective innings. Not only did Kane Williamson pick up his tempo but Conway also cut loose in the 27th over, smashing Shamsi for three boundaries
Kane Williamson moved to fifth gear by then. Mihlali Mpongwana was hit for two boundaries, Ngidi for four and Wiaan Mulder for a six over long on as he charged towards his century in only 72 balls. Kane Williamson got to his century in the 34th over with a single off Dala. Conway was not far behind and eager to get there but, when he was on 97, he tried to cut Dala past point and found Muthusamy, who moved to his left and took the catch.
Muthusamy was the pick of South Africa’s bowlers and dismissed Daryl Mitchell, thanks to a stunning catch from Mulder at long-on, and Tim Latham off successive balls but Glenn Philipps partnered Kane Williamson to the end. Kane Williamson hit the winning runs in the 49th over, to give New Zealand victory with eight balls to spare.
South Africa struck thrice in quick succession by dismissing Conway, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham, but that wasn’t enough to derail New Zealand’s charge. Williamson adopted a more conservative approach to steer the side towards victory. Glenn Phillips offered him good company with a breezy, unbeaten 28 to help New Zealand register their highest successful run-chase over South Africa.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Mitchell Santner the winning NZ skipper said : That’s the main thing, having different guys performing and stepping up. It is pleasing for the squad. We’ll head to Karachi now and prepare for the final.
We pride ourselves on having many options, and squeezing players in the middle overs, especially on flatter decks where you need to make things happen. (On Williamson) It was an outstanding knock, that partnership with Conway made things a lot easier. It was a better wicket than the one against Pakistan, there was a lot more grass on this one.
Temba Bavuma the losing SA skipper said : There were some positives. The debutants did well and from a bowling point of view everyone chipped in, but we weren’t good enough. We will like to focus on those positives though. It was a bit tricky with the new ball, they got the ball to nip around.
It did get easier later on, we would have liked to get some more runs. We have to be a lot better from today, with our batting and bowling we need to be clinical. It is a quick turnaround, but individually we will have to get better. (On Breetzke) He was amazing, he was waiting in the wings. He is one of the few guys who plays all three formats. Glad to see him repay the trust the selectors are showing in him. Hope he can only get stronger.
Kane Williamson Player of the Match for his 133 runs said : The conditions were brilliant. Today was a good effort. South Africa did great to get to 300 after a difficult start, we had to work hard to chase this down. We just got to keep going to different venues so we need different things.
Today was the early start which needed different preparation. It will all help us prepare for the Champions Trophy. (Comparing his hundred to Phillips’) He is a lot stronger than me, so we do things differently. We had to build partnerships to chase a score like that. Conway played well, and it was a great team effort.
New Zealand have qualified for the Pakistan Tri-Nation Series final after completing the third-highest successful chase in Lahore to beat an under-strength South Africa by six wickets. The result means the next match, between Pakistan and South Africa in Karachi on Wednesday, is a knockout.
Kane Williamson and Devon Conway, both back in New Zealand’s ODI squad for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, scored 133 not out and 97 respectively and shared in a record partnership for New Zealand against South Africa (187). Conway’s score was the first time he crossed fifty since the opening match of the 2023 World Cup, 11 innings ago.
Kane Williamson’s century was his first in 22 innings, dating back to his 148 against West Indies in Manchester in the 2019 World Cup. It was also Kane Williamson’s second fastest ODI hundred, off 72 balls. Between them, the pair eclipsed a remarkable achievement by Matthew Breetzke, who became the player with the highest individual score on ODI debut – 150 – and the fourth South African to score a century in his first match.
Breetzke accounted for just under a half of South Africa’s total, which is the first indication of where things went wrong for them. They scored too slowly in the middle of the innings, especially given the flat nature of the track. The second issue was a severely uninspired attack, albeit not a first-choice one.
Three of the bowlers – Eathan Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy and Mihlali Mpongwana – were on ODI debut and could be forgiven but lack of punch from Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi, who conceded 116 in 16 overs between them will be a concern ahead of the Champions Trophy.
South Africa have now lost five ODIs in a row, their longest losing streak in 20 years, but have played all their matches without a full strength side. While they’re unlikely to have too many positives to take from this defeat, they may console themselves with the knowledge that, Rachin Ravindra aside, New Zealand were at full strength and played like it.
After South Africa posted 304/6, powered by Matthew Breetzke’s stellar 150, Williamson anchored New Zealand’s innings with an aggressive knock. The former New Zealand captain, who had been under scrutiny following his 89-ball 58 against Pakistan, responded in style, smashing his 14th ODI hundred in just 72 balls his second-fastest in ODIs.
Kane Williamson’s innings, laced with 11 boundaries and two sixes, kept New Zealand in control alongside opener Devon Conway, who contributed a crucial 97. The duo shared a 187-run stand for the second wicket, bringing the Black Caps closer to victory. At the time of reporting, New Zealand required 54 runs off 70 balls with seven wickets in hand, with Kane Williamson unbeaten on 106.
This century also marked a significant milestone for Williamson in international cricket. With 47 international hundreds, he has now equaled former South African great AB de Villiers on the list of most international centuries. He achieved the feat in just 365 matches, while de Villiers took 420 games to reach the same tally.
The innings comes at a crucial time, serving as a warning to rivals ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy later this year. Interestingly, Kane Williamson’s ton came just a day after India captain Rohit Sharma scored his 49th international hundred against England in Cuttack.
Another day, another 300 plus target chased on a canter. The scorecard will tell that New Zealand took nearly 49 overs to chase this down, but at no point were they not in control of this chase. They got a decent start through Will Young and Devon Conway, before the former was dismissed by Eathan Bosch. New batter Kane Williamson though settled in for the long haul with Conway.
The former New Zealand skipper looked positive from the get go, hitting over the infields and scoring at a good tilt, getting to his century at a strike rate of nearly 140. Conway too motored along as the pacers were taken down in the middle overs when the pitch offered them nothing. Conway too looked good for a ton but he was dismissed three short of it.
There was a slight stutter as Muthusamy picked up two wickets in an over shortly after, but Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson ensured there were no further hiccups.
Tom Latham’s men are sitting on top of the table with four points and a net run rate of +0.906. The Kiwis’ victory meant that the last league match between Pakistan and the Proteas on February 12 is a virtual semi-final. Pakistan, on the other hand, wouldn’t want to miss out on a berth in the final at home, especially before hosting the high-voltage Champions Trophy to be held from February 19. A straight shootout now between Pakistan and South Africa to see who can claim that spot in the final of this tri-nation cup.