South Africa hammered New Zealand by 190 runs in Pune to register their sixth win of the competition, and open up the semi-finals race in the process.
New Zealand lost for 167 after opting to chase, making it their third consecutive defeat at the 2023 World Cup. Marco Jansen took his three wickets for the Proteas in a dominant performance, claiming Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee as victims. Glenn Phillips put the Blackcaps ahead with a cameo of 60 off 50 pitches at the end of the inning, but eight of those pitches fell short of double digits.
Quinton de Kock previously scored his fourth century in the tournament, tying him with Kumar Sangakkara for second place among batsmen with the most hundreds in a single tournament at the Men’s World Championship. . Rassie van der Dussen also top-scored for the second time in the tournament with 133 points as South Africa posted 357-4.
New Zealand had further injury concerns during the match. Matt Henry left the pitch with a hamstring strain while Jimmy Neesham bruised his finger during the South African injury. As a result, he was demoted to No. 9 in the batting order. Lockie Ferguson, Kane Williamson and Mark Chapman missed the game due to their own injuries.
As a result of this result, despite New Zealand’s good start, their qualification to play became uncertain, and the battle for a place in the semi-finals began. South Africa are almost certain to qualify along with India, but the battle for the remaining two spots will be between Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistan will next face New Zealand in a crucial match, but given New Zealand’s net run rate has taken a hit, a win for Pakistan will put them directly back in contention for the title. right.
Afghanistan currently have six points but are at the bottom of the qualification table due to their low net run rate. They still have to play the Netherlands, Australia and South Africa. If New Zealand lose their next match against Pakistan, they will likely need to win their final group game against Sri Lanka to stay ahead of the competition and qualify for the finals.
To bet on the World Cup with our Match Centre Partners bet365 head here.
