South Africa v New Zealand the Protea report card – South Africa player ratings

South Africa v New Zealand the Protea report card – South Africa player ratings: Finally, New Zealand’s limited overs tour of South Africa concluded yesterday with the home side defeating the Black Caps 2-1 in the ODI series. Earlier the 2-match T20I series had ended 1-1. This series was anticipated to be a marquee clash between the World Cup semi-finalists though it didn’t turn up that way. The New Zealand team desperately missed the services of their key players Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult.

On the batting front, the Kiwi’s seemed over-reliant on their skipper Kane Williamson. While the African side put up a clinical performance in the ODI series with their batters and bowlers coming good except for the Potchefstroom ODI.

Here is the South Africa v New Zealand the Protea report card – South Africa player ratings:

1. Hashim Amla – 8/10:

You just put this man into any situation and without complaining, he would deliver the goods. Hashim Amla who didn’t have the best of the World Cup made a remarkable return in this series. Amla scored 176 runs in ODI’s at an average of 58.66 with a match winning century in the 1^st ODI and an important 44 run knock in the series decider. Amla was adjudged man of the tournament in the ODI series. He had also anchored the African innings in the 1st T20I.

2. Morne van Wyk – 3/10:

In the absence of the out of form Quinton de Kock it was a perfect opportunity for Morne van Wyk to put up a good show and state his case to the selectors. But the T20I and ODI series turned out to be lackluster outing for him with the bat. Though Van Wyk amassed half-century in the last ODI match of the series but that too came at a strike-rate of 58. He scored a total of 98 runs in the 5 matches of the T20I and ODI series.

3. Rilee Rossouw – 6.5/10:

The destructive South African southpaw Rilee Rossouw had a decent outing with the bat in the limited overs series. Now with time Rossouw is developing himself into a good player who is not merely talented but can perform consistently as well. In the 1^st T20I match, Rilee played a smashing 20 ball 38 run innings while in 1^st ODI he played a valiant knock of 89 runs. Overall in the ODIs, he accumulated 134 runs at an average of 44 while in the T20I leg of the series he averaged 32 with his strike-rate nearing 150 mark.

4. AB de Villiers – 5/10:

The Superman of cricket AB de Villiers didn’t have the best of the series. Coming into the series he was expected to ignite fire on the 22 yards but certainly that was not the case. Although, AB did play a significant knock in the series decider piling up a 48 ball 64, that helped the hosts to set up a big total in the match. He averaged 34 in the 3-match ODI series. Although AB seemed a bit improved on the captaincy front.

5. David Miller- 2/10:

Miller suffered a slump of form in the series and couldn’t cross the 50 run mark even once in the series. After having an excellent outing in the World Cup 2015, Miller seemed no way near his best. In the 3 ODIs, David accumulated a mere total of 55 runs at a below par average of 18 while in the 2-match T20I series Miller scored 31 runs. His foot movement was scratchy throughout the series.

6. Farhaan Behardien – 7.5/10:

Farhaan Behardien had a superlative series with the bat and after much rounds of criticism on his inability to perform in international cricket, he finally rose up to the occasion. In the 2^nd ODI, he played a gritty 70 run knock when the chips were down. In the decider match as well Farhaan played a good cameo of 40 runs off only 28 balls to lift the side’s total. Behardien aggregated 125 runs in 3 ODI’s at an average of 41 and strike rate of 100.

7. David Wiese – 6/10:

The South African all-rounder David Wiese fared up brilliantly in the T20I series. Wiese scalped 3 wickets in T20I series with a miserly economy of 6.25 though he got limited opportunities to bat. In the decider match of the ODI series as well he picked up 3 crucial Kiwi wickets which greatly impacted the outcome of the match. Wiese looks a mouth-watering prospect for the side and if he can be groomed well he seems to have a bright future ahead.

8. Dale Steyn – 4/10:

The South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn who had a horrid match against the Black Caps in semi-final match of World Cup 2015 could pick up only 3 wickets in the ODI series. Steyn had not featured in the T20I series. In the ODI series, Dale’s economy of 4.77 was good but yet from a bowler who holds such high standards, this series was indeed no way near to his best.

9. Morne Morkel – 2/10:

The lanky South African pacer Morne Morkel featured only in 1st T20I match of the series after which he didn’t take the field as he had taken paternity leave. Morkel was wayward in the only match he played in the entire series. He conceded 37 runs in his full quota of 4 overs in the 1^st T20I encounter.

10. Imran Tahir – 8/10:

As expected the leggie Imran Tahir turned up the heat in the ODI series and ended up the series as the leading wicket-taker. Tahir accumulated 5 wickets in the 3-match ODI series at a miserly economy of 3.93 although he didn’t feature in the T20I series. On two occasions he grabbed the all important wicket of Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson which also proved to be the game changing moment of both the matches.

11. Kagiso Rabada – 7/10:

Kagiso Rabada who is seen in very high regards by the South African experts has lived up to the expectation and hype he has created so far in his career. In the T20I series Kagiso was exceptional with the ball and ended up as highest wicket-taker of the series with 5 wickets to his credit. Rabada played 2 ODIs and grabbed 3 scalps at an economy of 4.27 and with his tight line and lengths restricted the run flow. He seems to have the capacity to lead the African pace battery in the times ahead.

12. Aaron Phangiso – 5/10:

The left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso bowled really tight spell in the 1^st T20I match where he ended up with figures of 2/29 but then in the 2^nd match he proved to be very expensive. In the ODI series, Tahir was the leading Proteas spinner and Aaron played only the 2^nd ODI match. Phangiso bowled a good spell in the match and got rid of Kane Williamson. But, overall it seems that he has to be among the wickets more often to get reckoning in the playing XI with Tahir in the national ranks.

13. Vernon Philander 4/10:

Vernon Philander only played 2 ODI matches in the series. In the 1^st ODI, he took the important wickets of Elliott and Latham in quick succession to derail the New Zealand batting line-up but except for that he didn’t play any major role in the series. With so much competition for places in the South African pace department, Philander has to do something special to retain his place in the side.

14. Eddie Leie – 2/10:

The leg-spinner Eddie Leie played only one match in the series. He featured in the 2^nd T20I match and didn’t have a very good outing. Eddie ended up with figures of 1/32 in 3 overs. He didn’t even bowl his full quota of overs which reflects the lack of confidence of the skipper in his abilities. So, Leie certainly needs to improve a lot to do something note-worthy in international cricket.

15. Kyle Abbott – 1/10:

Kyle Abbott who had a very good World Cup campaign didn’t perform well in the series. In the 2 matches of the T20I series he didn’t even get a single wicket while his economy was 8.87 runs per over. In the ODI series, Abbott got only 1 match to play in which he grabbed one scalp. After his glittering performances in the World Cup this was certainly not the series which he would like to remember.