Though South Africa might won the first ODI against New Zealand, it was not a walk in the park for the host at Supersport Park in Centurion, as the Black Caps put up a strong fight. With the second ODI set to be played at Potchefstrom on Sunday, expect the two sides to come up with another high scoring entertaining game.
South Africa head into the second ODI brimming with confidence, especially after the Proteas' top order came to the party. Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw played some breathtaking shots against the Black Caps to score 124 and 89 runs, respectively, which helped their team put up 304 runs on the score board.
It was surprising to see Rossouw play a patient innings and not go after the bowling right away, something which cricket fans have been accustomed to.
However, their strong middle order of South Africa comprising AB de Villiers and David Miller failed to live up to expectations in the first ODI, and hence, they will be eager to score runs in the second ODI and help clinch the thee-match ODI series.
New Zealand, on the other hand, were decent in the first ODI, but their batsmen's failure to convert good starts into big innings. Chasing 304 runs, New Zealand managed to score 284 runs.
Even if one of their batsmen such as Kane Williamson (47 runs), Martin Guptill (25) or Colin Munro (33), had stayed at the crease, they could have reached the target.
But that is a thing of the past. Now Zealand need to concentrate on the second ODI and draw the series level to take it to a decider, which is not going to be easy, as South Africa are a dangerous side at home and know the pitch conditions well.
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Nesham is confident that the team will turn the fortunes around.
"We've put ourselves in this position a couple of times over the last year or so, with going behind in a series and we are well versed in what it takes to make those 1% improvements and come back stronger in the next games," ESPN cricinfo quoted Neesham as saying.
Where to Watch Live
South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd ODI has been scheduled for 10am local time (1:30pm IST, 9am BST, 4am ET) with live TV coverage in India on Ten Cricket and live streaming option on tensports.com.
Viewers in South Africa can watch the South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd ODI on Supersport.
US viewers have the luxury of watching the South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd ODI live on Willow TV with live streaming option on Willow TV Online.
