THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: New Zealand mean business. For the second warm-up game in succession, the runners-up of the last ODI World Cup posted a score in excess of 300 against South Africa at the Greenfield stadium on Monday.
Half-centuries from Devon Conway, Tom Latham helped New Zealand score 321/6 in 50 overs. That proved to be enough as they prevailed over South Africa by 7 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method as rain halted play midway through the Proteas innings.
The match was nicely poised and South Africa were 211/4 in 37 overs when the heavens opened up. As per the Duckworth-Lewis method, if they were four wickets down, South Africa had to score 218 for a win.

In their reply, South Africa didn’t get off to the best of starts as New Zealand seamers Trent Boult and Matt Henry bowled a probing opening spell. Boult trapped Proteas opener Reeza Hendricks LBW for a golden duck. Quinton de Kock seemed subdued at the beginning. Joining de Kock at the crease, Rassie van der Dussen looked the busier of the two batsmen and scored a half-century but got out soon after for 51 to Mitchell Santner.
Once Dussen got out, de Kock shifted gears and played some delightful shots both against the seamers and the spinners to go past the half-century mark to warm up for the bigger tasks ahead.
The South African innings got the much-needed impetus when Heinrich Klaasen walked out to bat at the dismissal of stand-in-skipper Aiden Markram. He smashed a 37-ball 39 before Boult returned to dismiss him. De Kock was looking good for a ton when rain played spoilsport. He was batting on 84 (89 balls, 12×4, 1×6) with David Miller not out on 18 when the match was called off.
Earlier, opting to bat, New Zealand lost a wicket early as South African pacer Lungi Ngidi produced a beauty to trap Will Young LBW for 12.
Conway was joined by Kane Willamson at the crease and the two took time to settle down. Conway put the foot on the accelerator by greeting South African pacer Gerald Coetzee with two fours off his first two balls. The two put on 89 for the second wicket before Willamson decided to give his knee some rest and chose to retire hurt. But what would have pleased New Zealand most is that their skipper Kane Williamson was amongst the runs for the second warm-up tie in succession.
Conway too followed his captain’s path and retired hurt after scoring 78 (73 balls, 11×4, 1×6).
Glenn Phillips hit an entertaining 40-ball 43 while Latham made 52 (56 balls, 4×4, 1×6) as New Zealand’s lower-order came up with some quick useful contributions to help them surpass the 300-run mark.