The Proteas set a new South African record of 11 consecutive one-day international victories when they beat New Zealand by 19 runs in a low-scoring but exciting match at Newlands on Friday.
Defending the low total of 201, the South Africans played superbly to snatch victory from what appeared to be inevitable defeat, dismissing the visitors for 182, after winning the toss and batting first. Makhaya Ntini and Charl Langeveldt took three wickets each, but the South African victory was very much a team effort.
Ntini got off to a brilliant start. His first over was a maiden, and he took the important wickets of Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming in his next two. Astle was caught by Herschelle Gibbs and Fleming was caught in the slips by Graeme Smith, and things were looking good for South Africa.
However, Lou Vincent and Scott Styris took the attack to South Africa, and put on 64 runs off 53 deliveries. They were particularly hard on Charl Langeveldt, who conceded 21 runs off his first two overs.
When Styris was brilliantly caught by Justin Kemp off Andre Nel for 27 off 27 balls, South Africa began to put the brakes on the New Zealand run rate. Langeveldt made up for his disastrous start with three maiden overs to go with his three wickets.
Craig McMillan faced 15 balls for his three runs before he was caught by Mark Boucher off Langeveldt, and Jacob Oram made 11 off 37 deliveries before he was caught behind by Boucher.
Brendon McCullum could consider himself unlucky when he was given out stumped by Boucher off Nicky Boje, who had been substituted for the ailing Jacques Kallis, and Daniel Vettori appeared not to have touched the ball when he was given out, caught by Smith off Boje.
Meanwhile, Vincent continued to accumulate runs, and it became clear that if South Africa had any chance of winning, they had to get rid of him. His fifth one-day international 50 came off just 37 balls, but after the departure of Styris, his strike rate slowed down considerably.
He began showing signs of cramp or a hamstring injury, and called for a runner. Smith brought Ntini back on to bowl, and the tactic worked — Vincent was caught at midwicket by Ashwell Prince off Ntini’s first ball.
With New Zealand needing 37 runs to win, they still appeared favourites, but the writing was on the wall once Langeveldt trapped Andre Adams leg before wicket for six. Langeveldt brought the match to an end in his next over when Andrew Puttick caught James Franklin for 21.
Earlier, New Zealand restricted South Africa to the disappointing total of 201 for nine. The medium pace of the New Zealand bowlers kept runs to the minimum, and the South Africans battled to set up any meaningful partnerships.
Andrew Puttick, called in from the Supersport match between the Cape Cobras and the Dolphins to replace Boeta Dippenaar, who has a wrist injury, failed to score on debut.
Graeme Smith (36) and Herschelle Gibbs (33) had a second-wicket partnership of 69, but Smith’s departure heralded a mini-collapse, with Shaun Pollock and Gibbs both going out for the addition of just five runs.
Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis, who had a stomach bug, put on 62 runs together, with Boucher making 40 off 47 balls. Kallis reached his 54th limited-overs half-century, but was out soon afterwards, caught by Vincent off Mills for 51.
Clever field placing by the wily Fleming kept Justin Kemp in check, with the hero of the first match unable to get as much of the strike as he needed.
After Mills had taken two wickets in the penultimate over, Kemp was stranded at the non-striker’s end, and shrewd bowling by Shane Bond prevented Makhaya Ntini from scrambling a single. Ntini was finally bowled off the fifth ball of the over.
Andre Nel got a thick edge to the last ball of the innings, which made its way to the boundary, pushing South Africa past the 200 mark.
Mills took four wickets, but it was the bowling of left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori and medium-pacer Scott Styris that kept the home side in check.
South Africa go into the third match at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth with a 2-0 lead and a chance of wrapping up the five-match series on Sunday. — Sapa