World Cup 2019: 3 reasons why New Zealand defeated South Africa

New Zealand defeated South Africa by four wickets in a closely-fought match at Birmingham on Wednesday. It was a must-win match for South Africa and they gave it their all in a desperate attempt to stay in the World Cup, but that wasn't enough.

Rassie van der Dussen scored 67 to lift South Africa to a respectable score of 241-6. Kane Williamson (106 not out) then played an ice-cool innings as he guided his side to victory with three balls to spare.

The Proteas have won only one of their six matches (with one no-result in it), and are practically out of the running for a spot in the semifinals. On the other hand, New Zealand move to the top of the table after the win; they are undefeated after five matches.

There are several reasons why New Zealand won Wednesday’s match. Let us look at the three most important ones.

#3 Picking up wickets at the right times

Lockie Ferguson

Captain Kane Williamson will be delighted with his team’s bowling performance. The Kiwis took wickets at important times to restrict South Africa to a below-par score of 241-6; South Africa would have aimed for 270 runs.

New Zealand got off to a great start. Trent Boult bowled South Africa’s ace opener Quinton de Kock (5 runs) with the score on 9.

The batsmen went into their shells after his dismissal. They crawled along to 22-1 after seven overs. The sedate start left the middle-order with too much to do in the last 10 overs.

Faf du Plessis (23) was bowled by a Lockie Ferguson yorker with the score on 59. Amla (55) reached a half-century but was bowled soon after.

Aiden Markram (38) was caught five overs later, attempting to lift the run-rate. The score was now 136-4 after 32.5 overs.

This was the pattern of the innings: losing wickets at the wrong times. South Africa scored 43 runs from the last five overs, but it was not enough to prevent a New Zealand victory.

#2 De Grandhomme’s contributions with both bat and ball

Colin de Grandhomme

Colin de Grandhomme (60 runs off 47 balls) was a key player in his team’s win. The all-rounder enjoyed success with both ball and bat.

The 32-year-old was brought on to bowl in the 15th over, and he troubled South Africa’s batsmen from the word go. His balls gripped the pitch; coupled with the movement off the surface, De Grandhomme was very difficult to get away.

He conceded only nine runs off his first five overs, and eventually finished with figures of 1-33 from 10. But his spectacular batting overshadowed his bowling.

De Grandhomme came to the crease with the score on 137-5, still 105 runs short of the target. The match was still in the balance but De Grandhomme scored quickly from the start.

He hit two huge sixes early on in his innings: both were pull shots off South Africa’s pacemen.

The match was virtually won when the batsman was caught in the 47th over. New Zealand needed 14 of 11 balls.

#1 Williamson’s calmness in the face of pressure

New Zealand v South Africa - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Kane Williamson scored a century under a lot of pressure, and his knock was ultimately the difference between the two sides. The captain converted his start into a big score, which the South African batsmen failed to do.

Williamson came in with the score on 12-1. He combined with Martin Guptill (35 runs) for a 61-run partnership, but both batsmen struggled for timing on the slow pitch. South Africa bowled with superb discipline to keep the run-rate in check.

Guptill was growing frustrated with the slow run-rate. He then slipped while playing a pull shot and trod on his own wickets.

Ross Taylor (1) and Tom Latham (1) lost their wickets soon after and South Africa were right back in the match. The score was now 79-4 after 18.1 overs.

In the middle of this excitement, Williamson remained as calm as ever. He was involved in significant partnerships with Jimmy Neesham (23) and Colin de Grandhomme to put New Zealand in a dominant position.

South Africa tried every tactic they could think of against Williamson. Every one of them failed. The impervious Williamson was still there at the end of the match, which his team won.