New Zealand vs. South Africa CWC 2023

November has started, and what better way to start this month than a New Zealand vs South Africa match? Both teams will go head-to-head on 1 November 2023 in Pune. The Kiwis and the Proteas have cemented their places in the top-4 of the points table. Whoever wins or loses will affect whoever tries to enter the knockout stages (cough cough, Pakistan). You will find everything, like the pitch report, key players, and possible strategies, in this article. So stay tuned.

Read: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023

Match preview

The match is on the first of November, so if you want to catch the live streaming, you can head to your local broadcaster, who has signed the deal for this tournament. But where can you find that? Don’t worry, we have solved that problem for you.

Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming

Pitch report

Puen is a dry batting surface. This is all I will say for now. The summers do get hot. However, this time of the year is best for the batters and the bowlers. This is one of the only pitches where it doesn’t matter if you win or lose the toss. Hence, the teams can play according to their strengths. For example, New Zealand will want to win this toss and bat first.

They will want South Africa to chase. The Proteas have scored more than 300 runs each time they have batted first. Obviously, they will want to go with this option for now.

Key players

Rachin Ravindra has been the best player for the Kiwis so far. In the bowling department, he has saved some runs for his team. While in the batting department, Rachin has been their go-to man if they are in danger. He almost made it possible for them to chase that gigantic target the Aussies set. Proteas better watch out for him.

In the Proteas dugout, there are a lot of players who can come out as the key players. All of them have performed. Be it Klaasen, de Kock, Reeza, Bavuma, or Jansen. Coetzee has been rising as one of the most lethal allrounders as well. For this match, let’s say Klaasen will go nuts and score runs all over the ground.

Possible playing 11

The South Africans will go with their winning combination. They brought Shamsi into the attack for Pakistan as they struggled against the spin bowling. Now that the job is done, the captain may look for another player and sit him for this one. Rabada is fit now so he may come back. Other than that, there might be no other change.

There has been some trouble in the Kiwi camp. Lockie is injured, which is terrible. He was getting his mojo back and was bowling with a good pace. Tim Southee may come back in his place. Southee himself has sat in the entire tournament so far due to his injury. Kane Willamson hasn’t been able to bat that much. And, likely, he won’t play this one as well.

Possible strategies

If the Kiwis win the toss, they will try to bat first and let the Proteas chase this target. Scoring in the powerplay will be crucial for any team. If you look at this tournament so far, the teams who have scored in the first powerplay have taken away the match. New Zealand and South Africa both have been a part of these observations.

Also, if the dew isn’t a factor in this stadium, which it hasn’t so far, bowling second will not give that much trouble. This will only cause trouble for the team chasing since it is not easy to hit the ball under floodlights.

Daryl Mitchel and Devon Conway have been the best at playing spin, so the South African team may sit Shamis for this one. However, the pace-heavy attack may not be that helpful for the Proteas either.

Batting will be the key.

South Africa is the best

South Africans only had trouble against the Dutch. Other than that, they are enjoying some good cricket. The one match they messed up in was against Pakistan. The Green shirts almost took that one away from the Proteas. However, the pathetic umpiring decision and faulty DRS came to the rescue and unjustly took the match away from Pakistan’s clutches. Other than these two matches, South Africa has been one of the best teams in the tournament.

Read: South African Team for ICC World Men’s World Cup 2023

New Zealand facing a challenge.

The Kiwis have lost back-to-back two matches. This is the time they will go for the kill. There is a lot at stake. If they lose this one, their position in the top four may be in danger. And things aren’t easy when they are under pressure like this. They have to face the number 2 team on the points table. After this one, they will have easier matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. However, will they be that much easier? Pakistan might be a harder pill to swallow. They are fighting back. But the Sri Lanka match will be easy to win for the Kiwis.

Check: Cricket World Cup 2023 New Zealand Squad [ANNOUNCED]

Predictions

The Proteas have a stronger chance of winning this match. They have a set team. Even the players on the bench have come and performed under tough situations. Hence, they are good. However, things have started to become harder for the Kiwis. Kane Williamson may sit out the entire tournament. Southee may come back. But will he be the good old Timmy? I guess not. Also, Lockie Ferguson has got a niggle which will cause trouble for him. This is really going to be hard one for the Kiwis.

Highlights

New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first. Can they restrict this Proteas side below 300 this time? I say they played with fire by letting the South Africans bat first.

First Innings – South Africa

• Things didn’t start well for the Proteas as they lost a wicket in their first over. Their skipper, Temba Bavuma, got out on 24 runs. This was not the type of start the South Africans were going for. Trent Boult came in and showed why he is one of the most lethal left-arm pacers in the world. He lured Bavbuma into playing that shot, which eventually caused him to edge it towards the slip.
• However, what came next defined the course of these innings for the Proteas. RVD and de Kock had a 200-run partnership on 189 deliveries.
• At first, both the batters kept a low profile, stayed on the crease, and built their innings. De Kock scored his 50 in 62 deliveries, while RVD got to his 50 on 61 balls.
• After these milestones, the batters started to go ham on the bowlers. Each bad delivery was either hit for a six or for a four. And while all these fireworks were going on, Quinton de Kock scored his 100 on 103 deliveries. He says he will retire after the World Cup. But do the fans want that after they have witnessed his greatness in this tournament? I guess not.
• After scoring 114 runs, de Kock got out, courtesy of a slower one from Southee. But is the job done? NO!
• Now, the Kiwi bowlers had to face the Killer Miller. Miller came on strike and built a 78-run stand with Rassie van der Dussen. RVD was in the mood to go bang bang. In this partnership, he scored 44 runs at a strike rate 200. But Tim Southee got the better of him and shattered his stumps at 133 runs.
• Later, the batters came and sailed the boat to 357 runs. The final punch was hit by Miller, who scored 53 runs in 30 deliveries. KILLER MILLER FOR A REASON.
• Total domination from the #Proteasfire. The black caps should have known better when they let the South Africans bat first on such a pitch.
• However, the Kiwis are not out of the match yet. Can they chase it?

Second Innings – New Zealand

• Another convincing victory for South Africa!
• They’ve been putting up huge totals all tournament, and New Zealand gave them an advantage by choosing to bowl first.
• Proteas amassed a tremendous total of 357/4.
• In response, Jansen claimed an early wicket in Conway, and the Kiwis never seemed at ease against the lanky South African pacer with the new ball.
• The Proteas pace trio controlled the opposing batters by applying great pressure, bowling multiple dots, and picking critical wickets.
• Maharaj made the most of that tension, taking some crucial wickets before Phillips struck him.
• Proteas dominated the game against New Zealand, much as they had done against most of their opponents earlier in the competition.
• This massive 190-run victory will be detrimental to New Zealand’s NRR.

Man of the match

RVD Dussen has gotten the man of the match award. With the partnership with de Kock and the onslaught later on, he has proved that you cannot sleep on this match-winner. This knock came at a time when the Proteas needed it the most.