Cricket: AB steers South Africa to victory

Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum was left in no doubt as to where he collected the hook shot that was his undoing against South Africa at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval yesterday. Photo / John Borren

South African captain AB de Villiers lived up to his initials as he led his side to a comfortable victory in yesterday's opening one-day international at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval.

The dashing right-hander was 'Absolutely Brilliant' alongside JP Duminy in crafting an unbeaten century stand that shut the home side out of the match. The Black Caps looked in the hunt when Hashim Amla departed at 97/4 after 25 overs. But the experienced duo of de Villiers (89 off 85) and Duminy (58 off 71) took advantage of the batting power play and a slow but reasonably predictable Bay Oval pitch to get home with six wickets and 11 balls to spare.

New Zealand had earlier looked unlikely to post a competitive total after losing three wickets without adding a run to fall to 68/5 at the end of the 16th over.

The reshuffled top order looked good at times but fell to poor shot selection or the quality of the South African attack. Jimmy Neesham was striking at better than a run a ball before he was caught behind for 15 off Vernon Philander, before a strangely cautious Martin Guptill fell to the same method of dismissal in the tenth over for just five.

Dean Brownlie and skipper Brendon McCullum added 33 runs for the third wicket before a caught behind referral went against Brownlie off the bowling of spinner Imran Tahir. McCullum fell to perhaps the day's worst shot off Morne Morkel an over later, hooking a ball well above his head high and into the grasp of Tahir at fine leg.

Anderson chopped on for a golden duck from the next delivery, leaving Luke Ronchi and Tom Latham a tough task to rebuild the innings. Neither went into their shell, with Ronchi keen to counter-attack by looking initially to hit down the ground.

Latham was unlucky to be stumped off the bowling of Duminy. Ronchi was nicked out in anticlimactic fashion to Dale Steyn on 99 from 83 deliveries, getting New Zealand through to a sub-par 230 that never looked enough.

McCullum was happy with the performances of Vettori, Boult and Ronchi and said the team learned a lot from the hit-out.

"We were a little bit uncertain of the conditions. I think the pitch played pretty well, probably a little bit slower than we expected and a little bit tennis-bally as well, so some good information for Friday's game," he said. "We weren't that far away and I can't look at those dismissals and say any were overly reckless but it's just sometimes you find a way to get out."

South African skipper de Villiers said the pitch was on the slow side and, despite his 89 not out, said he never felt totally comfortable.

Final score
New Zealand 230 (45.1 overs: Ronchi 99, Latham 29, Brownlie 24) lost to South Africa 236/4 (48.1 overs: de Villiers 89*, Duminy 58*, Amla 38; Boult 40/2, Anderson 31/1).