South Africa vs. New Zealand: Winners and Losers from 3rd ODI
South Africa claimed a 2-1 home series win against New Zealand with a 62-run victory over the Black Caps in Durban on Wednesday.
It wasn't easy going for South Africa, but their batsmen came together and the bowlers did the rest. New Zealand were steady, but they just never managed to absorb the pressure.
We've picked some winners and losers from Wednesday's match—add your picks in the comments.
Winner: South Africa’s Composure
1 of 6
South Africa needed to come back well after the second ODI, and they did.
While there are still some questions about a few batsmen in the middle order, almost everyone contributed. Most importantly, South Africa’s openers put together a solid partnership that helped South Africa launch their innings.
Although nobody went on to get a “big” score, the partnerships that were formed helped when it came to the attacking stages of the innings.
Loser: New Zealand’s Bowling Toward the Latter Stages of the Innings
2 of 6
Although New Zealand’s bowlers were never woeful, they lost their way toward the end of the innings.
Too many loose balls and a confident South Africa batting lineup meant that the run-rate kept on creeping up and up. Failing to strike early and consistently cost the Black Caps.
Winner: Farhaan Behardien
3 of 6
He only scored 40, but commentator HD Ackerman said that the knock Farhaan Behardien played in this match was one of his best innings.
Behardien is fresh off a very good knock in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and when he walked in late against New Zealand, he took full advantage of the platform that had been set.
Behardien whacked a brisk 40 off 28, showing that he can be more versatile when the situation requires. He has struggled for consistency for a long time, but just maybe he has finally found some.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Loser: David Wiese
4 of 6
David Wiese is an accomplished cricketer at domestic level, but he has struggled to adapt to the pace of one-day cricket at international level in this series.
Of course he should be given a few more chances, but for most of this series, he has looked out of his depth.
He has erred with his line and length, failed to hold his catches and his shot selection has been poor. These might be things that come right with time, but with JP Duminy due to come back into the side when South Africa tour India, Wiese might not get the chance to find out.
Winner: Imran Tahir
5 of 6
Time and time again, Imran Tahir has shown he is a big asset in limited-overs cricket.
His ability to slow the game down and take wickets is very useful, and he did it again for South Africa on Wednesday.
His dismissal of Kane Williamson set the wheels in motion for the bowlers picking up momentum.
Winner: Tom Latham
6 of 6
When a team loses, it's easy to overlook the guys who do well, but Tom Latham was by far New Zealand's most consistent player in this series.
He scored his third half-century on the trot in the third and final ODI, and while the series might not have meant much in context, to be so consistent against some of the best bowlers in the world says a lot.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
