NZ post challenging total
2005-10-30 14:07
Port-Elizabeth - New Zealand scored a challenging 243 for nine in the third Standard Bank one-day international at St George's Park on Sunday, despite some excellent fielding by South Africa, with no fewer than three run outs.
It was first blood to South Africa's leading strike bowler Makhaya Ntini, who had Nathan Astle (11) caught at second slip by Justin Kemp in his third over. Ntini struck again in his next over to dismiss Lou Vincent, the Man of the Match in Friday's game at Newlands. Vincent was caught behind by Mark Boucher for three.
Hamish Marshall and captain Stephen Fleming tried to rebuild the innings with a third wicket partnership of 23 off 66 balls, before Andre Nel claimed the wicket of Marshall, who was caught by Graeme Smith for seven.
Fleming was joined in the middle by all-rounder Scott Styris, who seems likely to become a thorn in South Africa's flesh. Their partnership of 59 runs came off 81 balls, and saw Fleming reach his 41st half century. But shortly after reaching that landmark, Fleming was run out when Justin Kemp got a boot to the ball and sent it into the wicket, leaving Fleming stranded on 54.
Craig McMillan (19) was run out in similar fashion by Shaun Pollock, who fielded the ball off his own bowling and shied the stumps down. Styris was joined by Brendon McCullum, and they set about getting the run rate up with some smart running between the wickets. McCullum became Ntini's third victim when he was clean bowled for 19 off 20 deliveries -including a towering six which soared over the bowler's head and crashed into the sidescreen at the Park Drive end.
Styris was next to go, when he was bowled by Langeveldt for 78, and Daniel Vettori was out the following over, brilliantly caught by Herschelle Gibbs off Andre Nel for six. Andre Adams smashed 25 runs off just 14 balls before he was run out off the last ball of the innings, when De Villiers threw the ball to Boucher who whipped off the bails.
Charl Langeveldt proved expensive, going for 76 runs, but Pollock was miserly, conceding just 23, although he would have been unhappy about bowling five wides. Ntini was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for 37 runs.
- SAPA