Harare: After his team lost to New Zealand in the trination tournament being held in Harare, South Africa captain Rassie Van Der Dussen stated that, while the bowlers performed admirably, the squad was unable to gel properly with the bat.
Hot spells from Jacob Duffy and Matt Henry restricted South Africa to 152 in their chase of 174, giving New Zealand a comfortable 21-run victory in the second match of the Triseries in Harare on Wednesday. With this defeat, South Africa sits second in the standings, Zimbabwe at the bottom, and New Zealand at the top. SA has won once and lost once.
Following the game, Dussen stated at the postmatch press conference, "They (New Zealand bowlers) sought to put us under pressure. " I still believe the bowlers performed exceptionally well. The bowlers played their role, but with the bat, we were unable to put it together. There is a certain way we want to play, and you must accept the bad with the good.
Dussen stated that the series is a vehicle for him to test new things, experiment with different players, and use a variety of game strategies.
It's okay to be mistaken sometimes, he remarked.
According to Dussen, the strategy during the runchase was to use limitations carefully.
There is a short and a long boundary, and it is impossible to protect both at the same time. Not a good batting performance, but it is acceptable. We will continue to try, he said.
The partnership of Duffy and Henry took six wickets in their eight overs, while spinner Ish Sodhi claimed two wickets to secure the victory for the Kiwis.
Lhuandre Pretorius and Reeza Hendricks began the innings for the Proteas in the second innings, chasing a score of 174. Pretorius got the Proteas off to a flying start, scoring 34 in three overs before Henry dismissed him in the following over.
Following Pretorius' wickets, Kiwi bowlers took wickets at regular intervals, causing the Proteas to lose half of their team within ten overs. Dewald Brevis hit a fine cameo of 35 runs off 18 balls, including three sixes and a four, before being dismissed by Henry in the 12th over.
South Africa was unable to complete their allotted 20 overs, losing all 10 wickets for 152 runs in the 19th over.
South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl earlier in the first innings. The Kiwis lost two wickets in the powerplay, with Seifert's dismissal for 22 runs off 16 deliveries followed by Devon Conway's departure.
New Zealand also lost half of its team in 10 overs. A century by Tim Robinson and an effective innings by Bevon Jacobs helped New Zealand to 1735 in their 20 overs. Kwena Maphaka was New Zealand's top bowler, taking two wickets while giving up 38 runs in four overs for an economy of 9. 50.
Brief score: New Zealand 173/5 (Tim Robinson 75, Bevan Jacobs 44; Kwena Maphaka 2/38) defeated South Africa 152/10 (Dewald Brevis 35, George Linde 30; Jacob Duffy 3/20).
