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South Africa beat New Zealand comprehensively by 190 runs in the 32nd match of the 2023 World Cup on Wednesday (November 1) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. They reclaimed the first position in the points table with the dominant victory. The result also kept Pakistan's hopes of reaching the semi-final alive.
The Proteas batted first in the contest after losing the toss and notched up a massive total of 357/4 in 50 overs. Opener Quinton de Kock (114) continued his sensational form, scoring his fourth century of the tournament. Rassie van der Dussen also hit a century, top-scoring for the South Africa team with 133 (118).
It was one-way traffic in the second innings as New Zealand's batting line-up collapsed. The South African bowlers bundled them out for just 167 in 35.3 overs. Glenn Phillips (60) added a few vital runs in the end to reduce the damage to their net run rate.
Cricket fans on social media enjoyed the one-sided match between South Africa and New Zealand on Wednesday. They expressed their reactions through hilarious memes on social media, and here is a collection of the best ones:
"We were put under pressure by that partnership between Rassie and De Kock" - New Zealand captain Tom Latham after loss against South Africa
At the post-match presentation, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham reflected on the loss.
"Obviously not our best performance," he said. "We were put under pressure by that partnership between Rassie and de Kock. From a batting point of view you need to build partnerships. To be 4 or 5 down early with our backs against the wall...disappointed with how it turned out."
He added:
"You expect to play your best and credit to them, they batted really well. It was a decent surface. If we had got some partnerships up top and got through the first ten overs we would have been in with a chance. Small ground and good surface. Around about 330-340 - if we could have kept them to that we would have had a chance.
When asked about the injuries in their camp and the road ahead, Latham said:
"The players have got a bit of adversity with injuries. We've got to see how they come up. Quick turnaround, we play in a couple of days in Bangalore. We've got to reflect on this quickly and go in with a positive frame of mind. We don't become a bad team overnight."
Do you think New Zealand will reach the semi-final of the 2023 World Cup? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.
