The recent finalist of t20 world cup, New Zealand is hosting South Africa in a five match t20 series starting today. South Africa dominated the first match at Bay Oval and leads the series. Even though New Zealand has a strong hold over South Africa especially in World Cups, South Africa has lost five consecutive games against New Zealand in World Cups from 2003 to 2023.
Even in the recent t20 world cup in India, New Zealand maintained its dominance, but coming to the bilateral matches it seems to be the exact opposite as South Africa has recorded 13 victories compared to New Zealand’s eight. South Africa won its last two t20 series in New Zealand therefore is extremely confident touring Oceania again.
Since the main players were rested it was a brilliant opportunity for the youngsters to shine. Simply to check the bench strength New Zealand and South Africa decided to include different players also it helps for the planning of 2028 t20 world cup. However, playing another t20 series on the back of a t20 world cup makes no sense because now the next goal is the ODI world cup in South Africa. Ottneil Baartman shone for the visitors with two wickets in three overs in fact he struck twice in an over to remove Tim Robinson and Nick Kelly. Mitchell Santner was the lone warrior for the hosts as he had a better economy than the rest of the bowling group. From his four overs, Santner only gave away eight runs and had a really impressive economy rate of 2.
Toss and Pitch Condition
It was a rare low-scoring game and the crowd seemed to be upset with the host nation’s performance. New Zealand is under the pump and must give a counter-punch. Bay Oval pitch was heavily spin-friendly and the slow out field made it difficult to play shots. It would be fair to say that the pitch was unideal for a t20 game as for a t20 game, one expects a flat pitch and faster outfield.
It was a risky call from Mitchell Santner to bat first given the surface but the stats told an entirely different story. As per the stats teams won more games while defending and the pitch was more suited to bowling. Given the opportunity to bowl first, the South African bowling did not waste much time. The Bay Oval is a smaller ground which makes six-hitting easier.
Proteas’ Aggressive Bowling
The Proteas had done the homework before the game. It not only was threatening with the ball but maintained accuracy throughout the 20 overs. New Zealand started on a dodgy note losing openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway early. Fast Bowlers Gerald Coetzee and Ottneil Baartman ripped through the Kiwi top order. Both attacked in tandem and showed superior skills outsmarting the batsmen. Ottneil Bartmann provided big blows as he picked up two wickets of Robinson and Kelly in the same over.
Nick Kelly was speechless after the ball just came back enough to castle his stumps while Robinson trying to release the pressure, was caught by George Linde. The Proteas had their field placements intact and it was brilliantly executed through the bowlers who sustained the pressure on the Kiwis.
At one stage the Kiwis were reeling at 36 for five and all hopes were dead such was the dominance by South Africa. Keshav Maharaj used five bowlers and all five went for wickets which shows the disciplined performance with the ball. Keshav Maharaj kept things tight himself going for only 25 runs in four overs, and bagging two wickets.
Fair to say that the Proteas exploited and used the conditions exceptionally to their favour. Santner on the other hand, completely misread the pitch. New Zealand just was not allowed to get in the game. The batsmen failed to apply themselves and the bowlers had insufficient score to defend as getting bundled for 90 odd runs in t20 is nothing in today’s time.
Poor Batting by Blackcaps
Even though the pitch did not aid batting, New Zealand batted poorly and did not show any mindfulness. Slightly better application could have helped the team to score at least 150 but the wickets fell in clusters and New Zealand had no time to recover. When James Neesham and Santner were batting, it felt like New Zealand would put up a respectable total and recover itself but the fielding unit of Proteas was too tight.
It was as if the South Africans considered this as some knockout game because it was flawless in the fielding and bowling. Undoubtedly the Kiwis have plenty of questions to solve, with key players in Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Finn Allen missing they had a great opportunity to test the bench but it has backfired.
What Next in the Series?
It is a long series and there are four matches to go. Both teams have ample time to strike back as we now move on to Hamilton. The pitch should be better for batting and the host will be eager to level the series. There may be few changes to the New Zealand squad as it will look to involve Rachin Ravindra and some power hitting in Finn Allen who has had a fantastic world cup recently in India.
Whereas, South Africa will continue in the same fashion as they have the momentum and there is no need to change the winning combination. Keshav and Coach Shukri Conrad will be mighty pleased with the effort from the boys and would look to replicate the same in Hamilton. The second t20 begins on Tuesday at Seddon Park and it should be a high-scoring clash.
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