Pune (Maharashtra) [India]: South Africa piled up yet another huge total in the World Cup, this time against New Zealand as they scored 357/4 riding on centuries by Rassie van der Dussen and Quinton de Kock in the match played at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday.
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first against South Africa. The Kiwis did try to make South Africa sweat for runs but the Proteas came up with another masterclass.
Skipper Temba Bavuma set the tone with a series of assured strokes, particularly into the cover zone. But Trent Boult outperformed Bavuma as the seasoned seamer persuaded the South African captain to drive a delivery that landed in the hands of Daryl Mitchell in the first slip.
Rassie van der Dussen then joined forces with Quinton de Kock to lead the Proteas’ batting attack. With a lot of bold shots, they held the scoring pace in the high fours until the 20-over mark. De Kock reached his half-century, his fourth fifty-plus score of the tournament, in the 21st over.
Rassie and Quinton then stitched up a century partnership and kept the momentum going for Proteas. Van der Dussen brought up his 61-ball half-century in the 29th over of the innings.
After Matt Henry left the pitch before completing his sixth over, there were worried looks on the faces of the New Zealand team, who already have injuries in the squad. The pacer had pulled a hamstring in the 27th over and James Neesham finished the remaining deliveries.
De Kock and van der Dussen ramped up the tempo further and De Kock achieved his fourth century in the Cricket World Cup by hitting a maximum off Neesham in 36th over.
The terms of play were already being dictated by the hitters, and New Zealand needed to recover quickly. When Southee removed de Kock in the 40th over, the Black Caps hoped for some comfort. However, South Africans kept the momentum and reached another huge score.
Like South Africa, New Zealand have done well in the tournament and won most of their matches. South Africa have set big targets for their rivals in almost all their World Cup matches.
Brief score: 357/4 (Quinton de Kock 114, Rassie van der Dussen 133; Tim Southee 2-77) vs New Zealand.
