Inexperience and the rising popularity of the SA 20 cost South Africa deeply as New Zealand beat the Proteas by 281 runs. Rachin Ravindra scored his maiden double century whilst former captain Kane Williamson scored a century in both innings.
Ravindra who came into the side for Henry Nicholls before the series showed his ability as an all-rounder as he also took two wickets in the match and deservedly won the player of the match award.
Embed from Getty ImagesRachin Ravindra: The Future of New Zealand Cricket
Rachin Ravindra has had a stellar twelve months. He was first included in New Zealand’s World Cup squad and finished the tournament as the 4th highest run scorer and established himself as part of the New Zealand white ball setup.
With a double century in his 4th test Match Ravindra looks set to be given an opportunity in New Zealand’s test squad.
Having made his test debut back in 2021 Rachin Ravindra has found it difficult to break into the Kiwi’s red ball side with many established and key players all having regular spots.
The left-hander also has a canny ability to bowl off-spin as well as he claimed two wickets in the first innings and showed his ability as a genuine all-rounder that New Zealand have been wanting for some time.
Embed from Getty ImagesKane Williamson Is Back at His Best
New Zealand’s greatest batsman finally showed his class once again. After stepping down as captain and suffering a broken leg in 2022 Kane Williamson has found it hard to find form consistently.
Against South Africa, Williamson showed all the qualities of the perfect batsman as he patiently defended and punished loose deliveries whenever they were on offer.
Most batsmen would be happy with one century in a game but Williamson wasn’t done just yet.
Embed from Getty ImagesKane Williamson took advantage of a tired and inexperienced South Africa bowling attack to score his second century of the game. Whilst the bowlers tried everything to get Williamson out the Kiwi stood tall against aggressive bowling
Inexperienced South Africa
Due to South Africa’s T20 tournament running alongside the test match series, the South African Cricket Board decided to send over a relatively inexperienced squad to compete with New Zealand.
To break this down six of the starting eleven players for South Africa were making their debuts including Captain Neil Brand. As well as this, the South Africa squad has a combined 37 caps between them, whilst the combined New Zealand total is 404.
Experienced players such as Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram are all missing due to their participation in the SA 20.
South Africa never stood a chance as their bowlers tired and the batsmen collapsed to excellent New Zealand bowling.
Dominant New Zealand bowling attack leaves South Africa reeling
Whilst South Africa’s bowlers toiled for wickets their New Zealand counterparts just tore into the Proteas batting lineup.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe New Zealand attack contained Tim Southee, Kyle Jamison and Matt Henry as the three seamers. The trio consistently hit their lengths asking the batsmen questions and making them play and miss.
Whilst the seamers took 11 wickets across the match, they were backed up by their spinners with Mitch Santner, Ravindra and Glenn Phillps all claiming the remaining nine wickets between them.
Also Read: Super Bowl LVIII: Can Patrick Mahomes Lead the Chiefs to Glory?
Southee used his spinners excellently as they took advantage of the spin of the surface and some poor South African batting to see his side to a dominant 281-run victory
Image Credit: Deposit Photos