Twenty-20 Warm up 15/02/2012: Canterbury Wizards vs South Africa Twenty-20 17th,19th and 22nd Feb ODI's 25th and 29th Feb, 3rd March Test's 7th - 11th March 15th - 19th March 23rd - 27th March
T20 squad unchanged for South Africa The Black Caps who beat Zimbabwe in the first Twenty20 have been given the vote of confidence, with no changes made in the squad to play South Africa. New Zealand Cricket today announced the national selectors have retained the current 14-man squad to play the Proteas in the first two T20s, starting in Wellington on Friday. That side cruised to a seven-wicket win over the out-gunned Zimbabweans at Eden Park last Saturday night, and the selectors have apparently seen enough before the second and final match in Hamilton on Tuesday. Changes could be made to the squad after the second South African T20, in Hamilton on Sunday, but that prospect seems unlikely given there is only one match to follow, before the ODI and test series against the South Africans get underway. New Zealand captain Ross Taylor again misses the T20 squad through injury, though he hopes to return for the ODI series. New Zealand Twenty20 squad to play the first two matches against South Africa: Brendon McCullum (c), Michael Bates, Doug Bracewell, Andrew Ellis, Colin de Grandhomme, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Ronnie Hira, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson.
1st Twenty20 SOUTH AFRICA: 147/6 of 20 overs Levi 13 Amla 19 Ingram 0 de Villiers 8 Duminy 41 Ontong 32 A Morkel 13 no Botha 14 no N McCullum 1-16 Mills 0-44 Southee 3-28 Hira 1-12 Bracewell 0-10 Williamson 0-27 Nicol 0-3
NEW ZEALAND: 148/4 of 19.2 overs Nicol 13 Guptill 78 no B McCullum 16 Williamson 24 de Grandhomme 2 Franklin 8 no A Morkel 0-20 Tsotsobe 0-28 M Morkel 1-26 Botha 0-24 Theron 1-27 Duminy 1-20
Good win by 6 wickets for NZ. Was hoping to see them play a little better than they did though, especially when batting.
Ross Taylor set to miss ODI series Brendon McCullum is almost certain to captain New Zealand in the ODI series against South Africa starting in a week's time, with Ross Taylor expected to be officially ruled out today. Taylor raised serious doubts over his fitness in an interview yesterday but will have a bat in the nets in Hamilton today to test his torn calf muscle. The team for the three-match ODI series, starting at Westpac Stadium next Saturday, is expected to be named on Monday. The New Zealand captain in all three formats suffered the calf tear while scoring 122 against Zimbabwe in the Napier test on January 27, forcing him to retire hurt. He initially targeted a return for the first ODI but only started light jogging on Wednesday. "I'm back running slowly. Everything is going to plan. But when the physio told me 4 to 6 weeks I just automatically thought four weeks," he told Radio Sport. "We'll just see how it goes. I won't be pushing myself. If I'm not quite ready then I'll just have to miss out on the one-dayers." It would seem an unnecessary risk to play Taylor in the three ODIs with the focal point of the tour, the three tests starting in Dunedin on March 7, just around the corner. "Test matches have big importance. It's always nice to play everything but at the present stage the team is doing very well and it's no use having a niggly calf for a couple of years if you can just rest it for an extra week and a bit." Taylor's absence places some intrigue around Jesse Ryder's situation, but he still appears unlikely to be ready for the one-day international series. Ryder missed the chance for a bat in yesterday's Plunket Shield match in Rangiora but, weather permitting, will stride to the crease against Canterbury today.
Was good to be able to go to the Nz vz South Africa game today, but the results weren't as good New Zealand 173/4 Nicol 23 Guptill 47 B McCullum 35 Williamson 28 n.o Franklin 28 de Grandhomme 3 n.o South Africa 174/2 Levi 117 n.o Amla 2 Parnell 4 de Villiers 39 n.o
Black Caps recall Ryder for Twenty20 decider Jesse Ryder is back in the Black Caps squad for the series-deciding Twenty20 match against South Africa at Eden Park on Wednesday. The Wellington allrounder, who hasn't played for New Zealand since the test defeat of Australia in Hobart last December, suffered a torn calf muscle while playing for Wellington during a domestic Twenty20 match. His place in the 13-man squad comes at the expense of Canterbury allrounder Andrew Ellis, who asked to return to Christchurch to be with family for the anniversary of the Canterbury earthquake. Ryder cracked a quick-fire 74 for Wellington in their Plunket Shield match against Canterbury in Rangiora yesterday. He faced just 50 balls and struck eight fours and five sixes. National Selection Manager Kim Littlejohn said swashbuckling left-hander Ryder had proved his readiness to return to international cricket. "We are pleased with the progress Jesse has made since returning from injury and with Andrew not available for the final match we felt it was a good opportunity to bring him back into the mix." Ryder missed the entire home series against Zimbabwe and the first two T20 matches against the Proteas. The squad for the first two ODIs against South Africa was to be announced this afternoon. Black Caps Twenty20 squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Michael Bates, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Ronnie Hira, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson
T20's game 1 South Africa 147 Duminy 47 Southee 3/28 New Zealand 4/148 Guptill 78 Duminy 1/20 New Zealand won by 6 wickets with 4 balls remaining @ Westpac Stadium. game 2 New Zealand 4/173 Guptill 47 Botha 1/22 South Africa 2/174 Levi 117 Nicol 1/10 South Africa won by 8 wickets with 24 balls remaining @ Seddon Park. game 3 South Africa 7/165 Duminy 38 Nicol 2/20 New Zealand 7/162 Ryder 52 Botha 2/20 South Africa won by 3 runs. South Africa won the series 2-1. The rest of the tour consist of 3 ODI's and 3 test matches. Guptill, Duminy and Botha look in great form.
already have a thread for this here - http://community.sports-force.net.au/threads/south-africas-tour-of-new-zealand.4249/
1st ODI New Zealand: 253/9 from 50 overs B McCullum 56 Williamson 55 Tsotsobe 2/41 South Africa: 254/4 from 45.2 overs de Villiers 106 not out du Plessis 66 not out Mills 1/27 South Africa lead the series 1-0
Proteas hammer Black Caps to claim ODI series From unacceptable to unbelievable, the rival skippers' adjectives reflected the growing cricketing gulf between New Zealand and South Africa after the tourists cantered to an ODI series victory last night. It was more of the same from South Africa who cruised home by six wickets, reaching their paltry target of 231 with 11.4 overs to spare in the second ODI at Napier's McLean Park before a crowd of 7461. Led by opener Hashim Amla's 92, the Proteas clinched the series with a game to spare, with a long-range forecast for rain threatening Saturday's dead rubber match in Auckland. In their worst performance of the summer, a promising New Zealand batting start dissolved into an awful middle order collapse, from 163-2 to 230 all out in the 48th over, against some brutal pace bowling, led by Morne Morkel's career-best 5-38. It provided the sober realisation that the gap between the sides is widening, less than a week from Wednesday's first test in Dunedin. The home side's dented confidence needed repairing, not another battering. Home skipper Brendon McCullum was in the thick of things; topscoring with 85 and eyeing a total of 300 before it all went awry in the powerplay. At 162-2 after 32 overs, they lost 3-20 in the crucial next five as McCullum, in his 200th ODI, and Kane Williamson both hit soft catches.
1st Test South Africa 238 New Zealand 273 South Africa 435/5 dec New Zealand 137/2 Drawn Match - Abandoned due to rain
2nd Test New Zealand are 94//2 with play stopped due to ran Nicol 2 Guptill 22 B McCullum 38 not out Taylor 29 not out
NZ 133/7 Nicol 2 Guptill 22 B McCullum 61 Taylor 44 Williamson 0 Vettori 0 van Wyk 0 not out Bracewell 0 Gillespie 0 not out
Squad for 3rd Test Ross Taylor (c) - Central Stags Trent Boult - Northern Knights Doug Bracewell - Central Stags Dean Brownlie - Canterbury Wizards Andrew Ellis - Canterbury Wizards Daniel Flynn - Northern Knights Mark Gillespie - Wellington Firebirds Martin Guptill - Auckland Aces Chris Martin - Auckland Aces Brendon McCullum - Otago Volts Tarun Nethula - Central Stags Kruger van Wyk - Central Stags Daniel Vettori - Northern Knights Kane Williamson - Northern Knights
Williamson praised for role in salvaging draw Plaudits flowed for Kane Williamson from both sides after he defied a South African bombardment and guided New Zealand to safety in one of the better rearguard test centuries in recent memory yesterday. South African fast bowler Morne Morkel won man of the match for his career-best 6-23 but Williamson, who stood battered but unbeaten on 102 in the gathering gloom at the Basin Reserve, was the enduring figure of day five of the drawn third test. The tourists deservedly won the series, 1-0, and journey to England to contest the world's No1 spot later this year. The 21-year-old from Tauranga survived a fearsome assault from the world's most imposing pace battery, physically and verbally, shook off a catching controversy and made the tourists pay for dropping him twice early on. After 327 minutes and 228 balls, Williamson was unbroken, even if his protective box wasn't, split in half by a Dale Steyn rocket. Chasing an unlikely 389 off 81 overs after visiting captain Graeme Smith rightly didn't give New Zealand a sniff, they were 200-6 at the close. It looked bleak at 83-5 after Morkel ripped out Dean Brownlie and Daniel Vettori with successive deliveries, but Kruger van Wyk (39) and Doug Bracewell (20 not out) stepped up. "I'm not quite sure that Kane has realised what he has done just yet, but in terms of New Zealand cricket history it will go down as one of the gutsier innings and one of the more gutsy fighting efforts on the last day against this sort of attack," stand-in skipper Brendon McCullum said. In the absence of Ross Taylor, who had pins inserted in his broken forearm yesterday thanks to Morkel's handiwork, McCullum hailed a "fighting draw" by New Zealand who were outgunned and never in front after winning the toss. Williamson strode out in the fifth over yesterday, with McCullum and Daniel Flynn both dismissed. He stood and waited for the umpire's decision on seven, when Alviro Petersen claimed a catch that was denied by replays. World No1 Steyn got angry and produced some blistering spells nearing 150kmh, remarkably ending wicketless. "He [Williamson] stood his ground terrifically. We gave him everything. People will talk about the chances but that's part of batting. We threw a lot at him; he was very calm and I think it was a terrific knock and one for him will be a great stepping stone," Smith said. Williamson, whose previous test century was in his debut, 20 innings ago, rated it his toughest day's cricket "without a doubt". "It was an interesting situation to play but it was nice to show some fight, take it to the end and compete." There was no respite as Morkel and Steyn fired up, the prolific Vernon Philander nagged away for 18 wicketless overs and young Marchant de Lange charged in. There were few memorable strokes before Williamson nudged a short single on 99 and sneaked home for the century, 12 overs before the end. Highlighting New Zealand's batting struggles, it was their first century this summer against the major nations, Australia and South Africa. The Proteas' catching cost them victory. Four were shelled yesterday, two of them by AB de Villiers and one by Smith, to go with the three put down in the first innings by JP Duminy. Both skippers agreed 1-0 was a fair series result. The first test was intriguingly poised in Dunedin before the rain came, then South Africa's bowlers dominated in Hamilton. "We've made most of the right decisions on this tour. We've been on the front foot throughout this test series. Losing close to 150 overs in this test, we were the ones pushing to win," Smith said.
