On Wednesday, South Africa won their sixth game out of seven at the 2023 World Cup, with Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen both scoring centuries. The team beat New Zealand by 190 runs, with de Kock achieving his fourth century of the tournament.

The New Zealand team found themselves in a tough situation when they lost five wickets for only 90 runs in 19 overs during their pursuit of 358 runs. Will Young, who scored 33, and Daryl Mitchell, who scored 24, were the only players who put up a fight against South Africa’s strong performance. However, despite their efforts, New Zealand was all out for 167 runs in 35.3 overs as South Africa continued to dominate.

This indicates that New Zealand, who had a strong start to the tournament, have now suffered three consecutive losses. This puts them in a difficult position with only two games remaining. Their next match against Pakistan on Saturday is crucial, followed by a match against Sri Lanka the following week.

The fast bowler, Marco Jansen, started the defeat with two quick wickets, while the spinner, Keshav Maharaj (4-46), delivered crucial strikes to prevent New Zealand from making a comeback in Pune, despite Glenn Phillips’ strong effort of 60 runs.

In a highly anticipated contest days after the two nations met in the Rugby World Cup final, De Kock struck 114 and Van der Dussen ran amok late on to score 133 for his second ton of the showpiece as South Africa posted 357 for 4.

The Proteas capitalized on the 200-run partnership between the two players and added 119 runs in the final 10 overs. David Miller also contributed with a quick 53 runs off just 30 balls, dominating the New Zealand bowlers at the MCA Stadium.

After winning the toss, New Zealand captain Tom Latham chose to bowl, and South Africa made a strong start. Despite losing captain Temba Bavuma (24), the team continued to perform well and top-scorer De Kock surpassed 500 runs in the tournament.

De Kock, who is set to retire from playing in the 50-overs format after the tournament, expertly played shots against the Black Caps bowlers and achieved a century by hitting a huge six over long-leg from Jimmy Neesham. He then aimed to increase his scoring pace.

He hit two additional boundaries, but then made an easy catch for Phillips at the backward point. This was Tim Southee’s first wicket since returning to competitive play after undergoing right thumb surgery in September.

On a day that brought little joy for New Zealand, Southee took down Van der Dussen with a stunning bowl. Unfortunately, New Zealand had also lost the bowling skills of Matt Henry in the middle of South Africa’s innings due to a right hamstring issue.

Source: theguardian.com