 A swashbuckling century by Richard Levi ensured a strong comeback by South Africa,
and now leaves the T20 series evenly balanced as they prepare to face New Zealand
in the third and final T20 international on Wednesday.
A record-breaking performance by Richard Levi in just his career's second
match was enough to overpower New Zealand's total with ease.
Click for Live Score Card of New Zealand Vs South Africa
Studded with 13 sixes, and the fastest T20 international century, the whirlwind
opener just announced his arrival on to the biggest stage with a bang. South Africa will be hoping for a repeat of his exploits as they look to seal
the series. His aggression made the job easier for the following batsmen as
AB De Villiers got himself in with a 36-ball 39-run knock.
The bowlers though are a worrying sign for South Africa as, in the absence
of Dale Steyn, the rest have looked ordinary. Morne Morkel was
expected to lead from the front but has been expensive, as have been the other
bowlers.
New Zealand would have felt comfortable at the halfway stage in the last match.
However, they will now know that any score is not enough as long as Levi is in
the middle.
Without a doubt, the team meeting will be full of discussion about how to get
the better of him. None of the bowlers looked in control in front of him. The
batsmen, while disappointed at seeing their hardwork get washed away, would
nonetheless be expected to put in similar performances yet again. A combined
team effort propelled them to 173, with Martin Guptill narrowly missing
out on yet another half-century. He has been the mainstay of Kiwi batting this
season and will be relied upon to deliver the goods yet again.
The match starts at 7.00pm local time, following the end of the T20 match between
New Zealand Women and England Women at the same ground.
|
