Pune: In the World Cup 2023 match in Pune, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first. This decision led to the inclusion of Tim Southee in the BlackCaps lineup, as Lockie Ferguson was still recovering from an injury. Southee made his first appearance in this year’s World Cup. On the other hand, South Africa saw Kagiso Rabada return to the squad, replacing Tabraiz Shamsi.
South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, got off to a brisk start but was dismissed by Trent Boult in the ninth over. Following Bavuma’s early exit, Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen steadied South Africa’s innings, putting them in a dominant position.
New Zealand and South Africa have emerged as two formidable teams in this World Cup. A victory in this crucial match would significantly boost their chances of securing a spot in the top four.
South Africa, except for an unexpected loss to the Netherlands, has been a dominant force in the tournament, boasting the best net run-rate among the ten participating nations. Their batting lineup has been in exceptional form, with Quinton de Kock consistently converting his starts into centuries, and Heinrich Klaasen delivering impressive finishing touches. South Africa’s bowling has been equally impressive, led by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen.
In contrast, New Zealand had a promising start to the tournament but faced consecutive defeats against India and Australia, partly due to various injuries affecting their squad. Their previous match against Australia was a closely contested affair, with Australia setting a challenging target of 389 runs, and New Zealand coming within five runs of the victory.
These two teams have crossed paths eight times in World Cup history, with New Zealand emerging victorious in six of those encounters. In the overall ODI head-to-head record, South Africa holds a 41-25 advantage.
The clash between New Zealand and South Africa promises to be a thrilling encounter with both teams aiming to strengthen their positions in the tournament.
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