New Zealand v South Africa, 3rd ODI: 5 Talking Points

South Africa went straight back ahead in the five-match ODI series with a massive win over their hosts New Zealand in the third ODI at Wellington. The woes for Kane Williamson and his Kiwis continued for the most part as they were wiped out for a paltry 112 as opposed to the Proteas who had amassed an incredible 271. While it is difficult to assess whether it was diabolical or not, the South African batsmen batted quite well.

In spite of the team performance put up by the Proteas, it was quite clear that the spotlight had been picked up by AB de Villiers, the skipper who had made his way back into the side. However, despite all of this, there was a certain manner in which he went about securing his 9000 ODI runs and becoming the fastest to do so. Quinton de Kock also chipped in with a decent knock. However, that said, here are five talking points from the day’s play.

1. Quinton de Kock gets the Proteas off to a flier

As he has done on many an occasion, it was Quinton de Kock who ensured that the Proteas did indeed get off to a decent start on the morning. This however, also ensured that the 24-year old added to the massive number of runs he had to his name. However, given the diabolical nature of the surface, it was quite clear that the young keeper-batsman was certainly making it count, especially with his off-side strength. He helped himself to an impressive 68 despite the loss of the wickets of Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla.

2. AB de Villiers creates a bit of history

AB de Villiers had made a comeback to international cricket after a long time away from the sport. This was something that saw him complete 9000 runs in ODI cricket and become the fastest to do so. These 9000 runs had come in just the 205 innings, something that ensured that he had surpassed Sourav Ganguly who had smashed the same in 228 innings. However, in spite of this, de Villiers had been quite impressive in recent times given the fact that he smashed 85, an innings that was quite literally the glue of the South African innings and also something that took them within a handful runs of the par score.

3. Wayne Parnell completes finishing touches

Wayne Parnell has been one of the best lower order batsmen in recent times. While he has been one of those people with some impressive batting in recent times, Parnell gave the ball a proper whack as he went ahead and claimed a few quick runs. He smashed 35 runs including a massive six as he went ahead and ensured that the target was well and truly out of sight for the hosts.

4. Kiwi batsmen fall like a pack of cards

The New Zealand batsmen had perhaps the worst start to an innings they possibly could. This saw the initial openers lose their wickets with both Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor tasked with the problem of helping the Kiwis stake their claim in the match. However, they eventually lost their wickets soon as Colin de Grandhomme was then tasked with the same issue. The South Africa-born all-rounder was able to make a bit of a claim before he eventually ran out of partners at the other end.

5. Ruthless South Africa coast to victory

The victory for the visitors eventually was achieved as the Proteas were able to ensure that their bowlers were able to make things happen for them with some terrific bowling. It was a collective effort that ensured that the Proteas would eventually secure a win. The ruthlessness their bowlers showed on the day was quite amazing Rabada, Phehlukwayo, and Parnell getting the wickets getting two wickets each. Dwaine Pretorious got three while Imran Tahir helped himself to one.