Brendon McCullum admires his team for ODI win over South Africa

New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum has praised his side for a brilliant ODI success over South Africa. He didn’t forget to lavish special admiration on Kane Williamson, who guided the Black Caps to an outstanding 27-triumph in the second encounter at De
Beers Diamond Oval.

Williamson single-handedly took his side to a massive total of 279. Batting first, the Kiwis lost a couple of wickets very early. As a result, there was massive pressure on side.

But the right-hander rose to the occasion, and smashed a classy unbeaten innings of 145 runs. Grant Elliot was the only one who gave some support by adding 48 runs to the total.

In reply, the Proteas took a wonderful start, as the top order performed magnificently. Quinton de Kock scored crucial 25 runs, while Graeme Smith and Colin Ingram hit wonderful half-centuries. The latter of the two was the highest run-getter in the innings
with 79.

After the departure of top three, a collapse was seen. Farhaan Behardein added 31 runs, but none of the remaining batsmen could do anything special. Consequently, the entire side went back to the pavilion after scoring 252 in 49.1 overs.

After losing both Test matches, the ODI success was really a great joy for the Kiwis. McCullum said after the game: "It is one of the finest one-day series wins in New Zealand’s history, the ninth-ranked team against the top team. It is incredibly satisfying
to finish off the tour this way."

The losing skipper Du Plessis shared: "We didn’t play well in the end. From 167 for one you should win the game. The batting unit must take responsibility. But it is a young team and hopefully we can learn from this."

It was New Zealand’s first series win in South Africa. The Black Caps had already won the first encounter of the three-game series in Paarl last weekend.

The third and last match is scheduled to be played at Senwes Park on Friday, January 25^th. The South African side will surely look to redeem some pride by winning the last game.

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Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on Jan 23 2013. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry