New Zealand vs South Africa, 3rd ODI at Wellington, Feb 25 2017, South Africa tour of New Zealand

RESULT
3rd ODI (D/N), Wellington, February 25, 2017, South Africa tour of New Zealand
(32.2/50 ov, T:272) 112

South Africa won by 159 runs

Player Of The Match
85 (80)
ab-de-villiers
Match centre 
Scores: Sanjay Murari | Comms: Alagappan Muthu
Scorecard summary
South Africa 271/8(50 overs)
New Zealand 112/10(32.2 overs)

8.50 pm Right that's all we have time for. There's plenty happening in the India-Australia Test, and there too the home side is in huuuuuge trouble. As far as this series is concerned, South Africa have a 2-1 lead with two more to play. We hope you'll join our coverage again on March 1 in Hamilton. Until then, goodbye

"It was a great team performances, it was what we emphasised on," says AB de Villiers, "I didn't feel that presence in the last games but we did this time. Don't know how we got to 270, but we did and we won. Not a big fan of setting totals beforehand. You can always assess later. You can overshoot, you might get less. It's difficult to judge. I just knew we had to bat through and then get runs late. [On seamers] They were good. We had a nice discussion before we out. Du Plessis, Quinton, Hash, they gave the bowlers what a good length on this pitch is. I just asked a lot of energy and I felt the inner ring was really difficult to pierce and we saved a lot of ones there. I didn't expect it to do that much, I felt it was a really difficult wicket to play on, I never felt in. A guy like de Grandhomme moved it all over the place, which helped us because we had two bowlers who could do the same. I don't think it did more in the second innings, we just did well, we caught our catches and we created more chances" he is also Man of the Match "Always very nervous, always fear getting out. it's just human. We started losing a few wickets, and I thought we were looking at 160-180 here, which wouldn't have been enough. But over the years I've learnt to counter that. It comes through experience, learning from mistakes and a deep deep hunger to succeed. There's nothing like contributing to the team, making hundreds, and seeing the smiles on my team-mates' faces. Love captaincy. I have a good gut feel of what might happen in 10 overs time, that's something I think McCullum was good at. I wont get it right all the time"

"They bowled superbly so it was a tough day at the office for us," Kane Williamson says at the presentation," Initially happy with the total, but on hindsight there was a bit more to extra the surface. They bowled very well, it's important that we learn from this a little bit. Our best chance of chasing that down was weather the storm in the middle and then have a crack later on. it wasn't easy. The nature of their bowlers meant they were able to get seam movement out of that surface. Specificially in drop in wickets, it is hard to rotate strike. And you play on smaller grounds so you have to take it deep. It was frustrating, we certainly didn't think it was going to provide that sort of movement. But they outplayed us. They got a pretty good score on the board. ONe day cricket can be fickle, They outplayed us today, and we need to bounce back quickly, go back to the basics. It's a quick turnaround, so we have to look at the good bits and do better"

8.40 pm AB de Villiers walks off a satisfied man. He wanted improvement from his team, and he was at the centre of it all, making 85 off 80 balls defying a slow pitch and a slower outfield. Then he outdid himself as captain - or perhaps was it before, as far before as the toss, when he decided to bat. Could he have known the pitch would liven up under lights? Because it did and the South African quicks were outstanding.

They got the ball to seam around, they stymied Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor in the middle overs with impeccable control of line and length outside off. Just look at Dwaine Pretorius' figures: 5.1-1-5-3. Kagiso Rabada was brilliant as well in his comeback game and Wayne Parnell, after participating in an 84-run stand in 10 overs with his captain, came back to take two wickets. Andile Phehlukwayo took out Taylor and Williamson in the space of two overs. And what all that points to is just about the perfect game for South Africa

Ronald: "Kudos to the NZ crowd. Still in high spirits, cheering every time Boult keeps one out. Booing when he gets bounced. Great attitude!"

32.2
W
Pretorius to Boult, OUT

the captain takes the catch to end the match. What a game for South Africa. They batted through a middle-order collapse and now have bundled New Zealand out for 112 on their home turf. it all ends when Boult takes a swing at a back of a length ball on off stump and top-edges it for mid-off to run in and finish proceedings

Trent Boult c de Villiers b Pretorius 4 (15b 0x4 0x6 15m) SR: 26.66
32.1
1
Pretorius to de Grandhomme, 1 run

good length ball outside off, puts it into the open space at cover and takes the single

end of over 323 runs
NZ: 111/9CRR: 3.46 RRR: 8.94
Trent Boult4 (14b)
Colin de Grandhomme33 (33b 2x4 2x6)
Imran Tahir 4-1-23-1
Dwaine Pretorius 5-1-4-2
31.6
Tahir to Boult, no run

shifts back and across to protect off stump as he defends inside the line of a wrong 'un

31.5
1
Tahir to de Grandhomme, 1 run

works it to deep square leg

31.4
1
Tahir to Boult, 1 run

goes for a sweep, is completely done in by this slow, loopy delivery. Top edges it and looks up to see mid-on not in place

31.3
Tahir to Boult, no run

looks to glide a shortish legbreak outside off to third man, but then yanks his bat out of the way

31.2
Tahir to Boult, no run

shimmies down and flicks a full ball on middle to short midwicket

Slip and leg slip in

31.1
1
Tahir to de Grandhomme, 1 run

drives firmly to long-off and takes the single as the crowd yells for Boult again

end of over 31Maiden
NZ: 108/9CRR: 3.48 RRR: 8.63
Trent Boult3 (10b)
Colin de Grandhomme31 (31b 2x4 2x6)
Dwaine Pretorius 5-1-4-2
Imran Tahir 3-1-20-1
30.6
Pretorius to Boult, no run

comes down the track, but he keeps out a full delivery on middle. Boult plays out a maiden, idiosyncracies and all. The Cake Tin roars for him

30.5
Pretorius to Boult, no run

fuller delivery on middle, defends

30.4
Pretorius to Boult, no run

bangs it in short, and it sails over the pulling batsman

30.3
Pretorius to Boult, no run

now he goes for it, slogging across the line of a short of a length delivery outside off. Que ends it to extra cover

30.2
Pretorius to Boult, no run

sets up for the slog over the leg side, his back leg as the ballast and his front leg out of the way. And then he decides to leave

30.1
Pretorius to Boult, no run

walks at the medium pacer and blocks the shortish delivery on off stump

Pretorius for a second spell

end of over 309 runs
NZ: 108/9CRR: 3.60 RRR: 8.20
Trent Boult3 (4b)
Colin de Grandhomme31 (31b 2x4 2x6)
Imran Tahir 3-1-20-1
Kagiso Rabada 10-0-39-2
29.6
1
Tahir to Boult, 1 run

tosses it up, nudges it past short midwicket and he'll keep the strike to face the next over

29.6
1w
Tahir to Boult, 1 wide

drifts down leg seeing Boult move across onto off stump. it's the wrong 'un that fools Boult, but not the keeper

29.5
1
Tahir to de Grandhomme, 1 run

drives to long-on

29.4
Tahir to de Grandhomme, no run

flicks across the line, having come down the pitch, and gets struck on his bads

29.3
Tahir to de Grandhomme, no run

fires it in on middle, de Grandhomme goes for a slog and wears it

29.2
Tahir to de Grandhomme, no run

comes down the track, but doesn't have the room to do much more than block

Best performances - batters
Spike Graph
Wagon Zone
AB de Villiers
85 runs (80)
7 fours1 six
Productive shot
cover drive
26 runs
2 fours1 six
Control
85%
Q de Kock
68 runs (70)
6 fours2 sixes
Productive shot
flick
27 runs
0 four1 six
Control
79%
Best performances - bowlers
D Pretorius
O
5.2
M
1
R
5
W
3
ECO
0.93
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
1W
AL Phehlukwayo
O
5
M
0
R
12
W
2
ECO
2.4
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
Match details
Westpac Stadium, Wellington
TossSouth Africa, elected to bat first
Series
Season2016/17
Player Of The Match
Series resultSouth Africa led the 5-match series 2-1
Match numberODI no. 3841
Hours of play (local time)14.00 start, First Session 14.00-17.30, Interval 17.30-18.15, Second Session 18.15-21.45
Match days25 February 2017 - daynight (50-over match)
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