South Africa choke Kiwis to clinch series

South Africa stole an unlikely three run win in the last T20 at Auckland to pocket the series 2-1. New Zealand were coasting towards what should have been an easy win but somehow allowed the pressure to build in the last four overs and fell short of the 166-run target.

Only 17 were needed off 24 deliveries but Johan Botha bowled two fabulous overs which cost just five. Young pacer Merchant de Lange, asked to bowl the last over from which New Zealand needed seven, kept his cool despite a no-ball to emerge as hero.

On a decent batting surface with short boundaries, New Zealand were in front when they started the chase. With openers, Rob Nicol and Martin Guptill adding 65 in only six overs, they became overwhelming favourites. Nicol followed up his brilliant bowling and fielding display with a useful 19-ball 33 and Guptill made 26 to put New Zealand in the driver’s seat.

While both the openers were dismissed in quick succession, Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder kept the chase going and took the score to 112, when McCullum was caught behind off Robin Petersen. Ryder smacked the left armer for two sixes in the 14th over and cut Morne Morkel for a boundary to move to 38 off 27 deliveries.

It was at this point that the match began to swing in South Africa’s favour. Ryder changed his game as he approached his fifty. He eventually crossed the landmark but it came at a great cost. He scored four runs off the next 14 deliveries before falling to Botha for 52 in the 19th over. Had he played his normal game, the hosts would have got across the line with ease. For once, South Africa won a lost match because usually it is the other way round.

Earlier, New Zealand got wickets at crucial junctures to prevent South Africa from finishing their innings with a flourish and restricted them to a total of manageable proportions. South Africa were in a perfect position to cut loose after JP Duminy and AB de Villiers had added 62 runs but Rob Nicol’s double-strike in the 15th over coupled with the Duminy’s run-out sucked out all the momentum and limited the score to 165 for 7.

On a wet evening, South Africa were asked to bat as the impending rain made batting second a safer option. Richard Levi, fresh from a bludgeoning hundred in the last match, teed off with a murderous slap down the ground. In the third over, James Franklin was deposited over square leg. Levi tried to repeat the shot off the next ball but Nicol pulled off a fine running catch to send back the dangerman.

Albie Morkel managed to hit once over midwicket but was caught at long-on as he attempted a wild swish off Tim Southee. Meanwhile, Hashim Amla had started with a flurry of boundaries. As the Kiwi bowlers drifted on to his pads, the stylish right-hander cashed-in to race along. He was removed by Doug Bracewell for 22-balll 33.

Duminy and de Villiers joined forces when South Africa were 59 for three, needing a bit of consolidation. With sensible batting that included conventional strokes and some well thought out improvisations, they were able to dominate the bowling. Duminy struck couple of sublime sixes in his 38 off 20 deliveries before Nicol ran him out. In his next over, Nicol bowled de Villiers for 29 and trapped Justin Ontong in front.

Bracewell and Southee kept things tight in the last five overs. Thanks to Wayne Parnell’s 22, South Africa were able to post a fighting total, otherwise they might have ended up with even less.