Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Wellington: South Africa captain AB de Villiers became the fastest man to score 9,000 One-day International (ODI) runs as he led his side to a 159-run victory over New Zealand in the third ODI on Saturday.
De Villiers scored 85, having needed just five runs to surpass former India captain Saurav Ganguly, who took 228 innings to achieve the milestone. De Villiers did it in his 205th innings.
South Africa scored a credible 271 for eight in their 50 overs and then their pace bowlers ripped the top off the hosts batting to reduce them to 58 for six in the 20th over before bowling them out for 112 in 32.2 overs.
The victory gave de Villiers' team a 2-1 lead in the five-match series with the fourth game in Hamilton on Wednesday.
Colin de Grandhomme was the only New Zealand batsmen to really come to grips with the drop-in pitch at Wellington Regional Stadium with 34 not out and highlighted that he was batting too low at number eight in the order.
Andile Phehlukwayo (two for 12 from five overs) and Dwaine Pretorius (three for five from 5.2 overs) were the most economical of the South African bowlers.
De Villiers had again held his side's innings together with a composed knock and was only dismissed in the final over when he failed to get underneath a Trent Boult full toss and was caught on the boundary.
Quinton de Kock also gave his side a solid foundation with 68, the opener passing 50 in his last five one-day matches.
The visitors were adept at rotating the strike and ticking the scoreboard over, with 116 runs coming from singles.
A surprising double strike by de Grandhomme in the 23rd over slowed the visitors momentum, with the all-rounder having Faf du Plessis (36) caught by Tim Southee before de Kock was caught by Jimmy Neesham three balls later at deep midwicket.
South Africa had been cruising at 114 for one before de Grandhomme's double strike.
Their vaunted middle order failed to fire with wickets falling at regular intervals and they were in trouble at 180 for six by the 39th over.
De Villiers, however, then combined with Wayne Parnell (35) to add 84 runs for the seventh wicket that gave them a target that was achievable but never in danger of being threatened by the hosts.
SCOREBOARD
SOUTH AFRICA
Q. de Kock c Neesham b de Grandhomme 68
H. Amla c Williamson b Southee 7
F. du Plessis c Southee b de Grandhomme 36
A.B. de Villiers c Neesham b Boult 85
J. Duminy run out 16
D. Miller c Broom b Santner 3
D. Pretorius b Ferguson 11
W. Parnell run out 35
A. Phehlukwayo (not out) 1
Extras (lb-2, w-7) 9
Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 271
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-114, 3-115, 4-157, 5-164, 6-180, 7-264, 8-271.
Did not bat: I. Tahir, K. Rabada
Bowling: T. Southee 10-0-66-1 (w-2); T. Boult 10-0-47-1; L. Ferguson 10-0-71-1 (w-3); C. de Grandhomme 10-0-40-2 (w-2); M. Santner 10-0-45-1.
NEW ZEALAND
D. Brownlie c de Kock b Rabada 2
T. Latham c Duminy b Parnell 0
K. Williamson b Phehlukwayo 23
R. Taylor lbw Pretorius 18
N. Broom c Amla b Phehlukwayo 0
J. Neesham c&b Parnell 13
M. Santner b Pretorius 1
C. de Grandhomme (not out) 34
T. Southee c de Kock b Rabada 5
L. Ferguson b Tahir 4
T. Boult c de Villiers b Pretorius 4
Extras (w-8) 8
Total (all out, 32.2 overs) 112
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-11, 3-48, 4-48, 5-51, 6-58, 7-77, 8-82, 9-95.
Bowling: K. Rabada 10-0-39-2 (w-2); W. Parnell 8-0-33-2; A. Phehlukwayo 5-0-12-2 (w-1); D. Pretorius 5.2-1-5-3; I. Tahir 4-1-23-1 (w-1).
Umpires: Chris Brown, Joel Wilson
TV umpire: Paul Reiffel
Match referee: Javagal Srinath
