New Zealand and South Africa locked horns for the first time since the T20 World Cup concluded. The Kiwis hosted the Proteas for the five-match T20I series and the runners-up of the World Cup surrendered meekly in the series opener, as they got bowled out for only 91 runs in the match played at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
The hosts had rested several of their players from the World Cup and their top five for the first T20I looked completely different. None of their top four batters- Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Tim Robinson and Nick Kelly could reach double figures as they were blown away within the four overs.ย
New Zealand were reeling at 21/4 at one stage and they could never recover from there on with all-rounder James Neesham top-scoring with a 26-run knock. Debutant Nqobani Mokoena impressed for South Africa, picking up three wickets while the trio of Gerlad Coetzee, Ottneil Baartman and Keshav Maharaj accounted for two scalps each.
The Kiwis were skittled in only the 15th over of the innings as they got bowled out for under 100 for the record 14th time in T20 Internationals, the most among full member teams. Sri Lanka are next on this list, as they have been bundled out under 100 by opposition teams 11 times.
South Africa stutter but chase down the target
In the chase, South Africa lost Tony de Zorzi and Rubin Hermann early, but the target of 92 runs meant that they were never under pressure. Opener Connor Esterhuizen stuck around with an unbeaten 45 off 48 deliveries as conditions were tough for batting. Dian Forrester supported him well as the visitors got over the line in the 17th over of the innings.
Given the conditions, had New Zealand batted their entire quota of overs, it could’ve been a low-scoring thriller. But eventually, it turned out to be a one-sided affair as South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
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