South Africa vs. New Zealand: Winners and Losers from 2nd ODI
New Zealand bounced back from their loss in the first ODI to claim a massive eight-wicket victory in the second match against South Africa in Potchefstroom on Sunday.
South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first but could only manage to notch up a dismal 204 before being all out. A century from Martin Guptill and a half-ton from Tom Latham saw the Black Caps hope with 33 balls still to spare.
The two teams now head to Durban for the third and final ODI on Wednesday, but here are winners and losers from Sunday's match. Add your own winners and losers in the comments.
Winner: Farhaan Behardien
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You can only laugh at cricket’s idiosyncrasies. Farhaan Behardien played what could possibly be one of the most important knocks of his ODI career in one of the most unimportant series. While his teammates collapsed around him, Behardien settled in, read the conditions and managed to give the South African total a boost that helped them avoid complete and total embarrassment.
It was an important knock because Behardien is likely to exist on the fringes of this one-day team for some time to come. He is only modestly talented, but South Africa’s starting XI for one-day cricket is far from set. If Behardien can consistently prove that he can settle down under pressure, then he might end up muscling his way into the team ahead of somebody else.
Winner: Doug Bracewell
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Doug Bracewell was one of New Zealand’s best bowlers on Sunday. On a pitch that was sluggish, Bracewell kept his lines tight and constantly put pressure on South Africa’s batsmen by taking the pace off the ball. His cutters were effective and he got three wickets as his reward.
He hasn’t played many ODIs for New Zealand, and up until now, his returns have been unremarkable. But perhaps it shows that every dog will have its day.
Loser: AB de Villiers’ Decision to Bat First
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It’s not often that AB de Villiers makes bad decisions. Hindsight is 20-20, of course, but De Villiers’ decision to bat first in the second ODI against New Zealand wasn’t such a bright move. The captain might have expected the pitch to crumble a bit more in the heat, but the roller used by New Zealand only flattened out what was already a reasonably flat pitch.
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Loser: David Miller
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Former South African captain Graeme Smith did a mini-masterclass during the innings break and pointed to how David Miller is using (or rather not using) his feet.
Not only is Miller getting planted down, but he is often playing on his heels as well. It’s a minor technical error that Miller can rectify in due course, but if he has ambitions of playing the longer format of the game for South Africa, he needs to guard against these minor issues.
Winner: Martin Guptill
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Martin Guptill has found some exquisite form in the last few matches he’s played in. New Zealand’s next assignment is against Australia in November, and although that’s still a long way off, the way he has performed against some of the best bowlers in the world will be a massive confidence boost.
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