 It has rather been an anti-climatic turnaround of fortune for New Zealand as South Africa continue to dominate the home team in the ODI series as well. With the series decided, the teams meet in the dead, third encounter on Saturday.
Not only are New Zealand troubled by their on-field performances, but
the off-field controversies have not spared them either. Following the six-wicket
loss, New Zealand players Jesse Ryder and Doug Bracewell were found to
have broken the team protocol by going to a hotel and having an argument there.
Both the players have correspondingly been dropped from the final match.
Click for Live Score Card of New Zealand Vs South Africa
On the field, the home team will be looking to salvage some pride and restore
some confidence prior to the test series. In the second ODI, their batting succumbed
from a healthy position to 230 all out in less than the allotted overs. While
Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill scored half-centuries, the middle-order,
mostly consisting of youngsters, failed to carry the momentum. The bowlers too
felt the heat and failed to contain the runs, with only Andy McKay having some
control but went wicketless.
South Africa eased their way to another series win following the Twenty20 triumph.
They will be pleased with the way their batsmen have dominated so far. The ever-dependable Hashim Amla scored a fluent 92 after the uncharacteristic failure in
the first match. Good contributions from other batsmen have left the team in
good shape.
The performance of the day however came from Morne Morkel who continues
to establish his reputation as a top-class bowler. He finished with five wickets
and will look to cherish the opportunities on the supportive wicket in the final
match. Lonwabo Tsotsobe also chipped in with three wickets and will be seeking
consistency as he hopes to reaffirm himself in the team.
The match will be played in Auckland, starting at 2.00pm local time.
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