Latham sparks capitulation in the capital
If game three was meant to signal moving day in this one-day cricket series, the team in black hurtled headlong into a brick wall and fell flat on their backsides.
What a massive letdown it was for an expectant Westpac Stadium crowd in Wellington yesterday as the Black Caps collapsed to a 159-run defeat to South Africa, who are now at microscopic odds to clinch this five-match series.
It was New Zealand’s worst ODI defeat by runs to South Africa, beating the 143 in Auckland in 1999.
Chasing 272, New Zealand were shot out for 112 in 32.2 overs, a woeful batting performance that few saw coming. Three days earlier they’d lost just four wickets in racking up a winning total of 289-4 in Christchurch.
It went from composed to clueless against some accurate South African pace bolstered by the impressive Kagiso Rabada’s return, while Dwaine Pretorius’ sharp tour continued with the remarkable bowling figures of 5.2-1-5-3.
But all up there were few, if any, unplayable deliveries as New Zealand’s batsmen got bogged down then slashed, nibbled and wafted at deliveries they should have handled much better.
By the time they slumped to 58-6 in the 20th over, the crowd began heading for the exits. Enough said.
Now it means New Zealand need to win in Hamilton and Auckland to snatch this series, a task that looks well beyond them on this effort.
South Africa have now won seven of the last nine ODIs between the sides in New Zealand, and bounced back ominously from their Christchurch stumble to look every bit the world’s No 1 side.
The look on Tom Latham’s face said it all. Seventh ball he faced, the opener carved one behind point to get off the mark.
Instead it landed in JP Duminy’s safe hands; Latham disbelieving amid his own batting nightmare.
Latham must now be given the week off to revive his confidence to lead New Zealand’s batting in the three tests.
After six single-figure ODI scores – five of them with the wicketkeeping gloves – this can’t go on and with Martin Guptill close to a return from injury and George Worker pushing hard in domestic cricket, they must find a new opener for games four and five and throw the gloves to Luke Ronchi.
Not that the others fared much better.
Rabada was fast and bouncy and enticed Dean Brownlie to nibble one he shouldn’t.
The rescue mission was under way early between batting kingpins Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor but there was to be no repeat of Wednesday’s defiant stand.
Williamson looked out of sorts and was dropped by Hashim Amla in the slips on four. He replied with a searing pull shot for six, and Taylor looked in control and ready to scrap. Their union lasted only 12 overs. The captain chopped on one that seamed back from Andile Phehlukwayo, and next over Taylor played across a full one from Pretorius. A combined 41 runs from New Zealand’s two main hopes was a paltry return and it only got worse.
Neil Broom, who may have to make way for Ronchi if the order is reshuffled, was nicked off, Mitchell Santner was skittled by Pretorius and then it almost descended into comedy. Jimmy Neesham was too late on pull shot to Wayne Parnell and a spooned a return catch. A grateful Parnell accepted then fired the ball back at Neesham who looked wounded and disbelieving. It was poor from Parnell but winners are grinners, and New Zealand were gone. Talk about insult to injury. South Africa’s total of 271-8 looked about par on a pitch that wasn’t as fast and bouncy as expected, on a warm afternoon when both sides wanted to bat first. A year ago New Zealand couldn’t defend 281 against Australia on the same drop-in, and the chasing side had won nine of the last 14 ODIs at the stadium since 2007.
Again, South Africa’s captain AB de Villiers left a giant bootprint on the contest, hauling the tourists up when they wobbled and New Zealand sensed a chance.
His 85 off 80 balls got them past 250 which had looked a struggle at 180-6 in the 39th.