The Richard Levi show didn't get a re-run tonight and South Africa were restricted to 165 for seven, batting first in the deciding Twenty20 cricket match against New Zealand in Auckland.
It is a gettable target at Eden Park with its short boundaries straight, but the rogue element is Auckland'sweather, which has threatened to turn all evening. The curtain-raiser between the New Zealand and England women was shortened by rain and any further falls could make the game a lottery.
Levi, who plundered 117 not out off just 51 balls in the last match in Hamilton, looked to start where he left off with a six and a four in his first six deliveries. But the opener fell to the seventh for just 11 when he was well caught by Rob Nicol at fine leg trying to hit James Franklin for consecutive sixes.
Instead it was left to Hashim Amla (33 off 22), AB de Villiers (29 off 23) and JP Duminy (38 off 20) to help the Proteas set a total that is probably 15-20 runs short.
Tim Southee and Doug Bracewell, who might have been left out of the side had Kyle Mills not picked up a stomach bug, were the pick of the bowlers. Both bowled with good pace and weren't afraid to mix it up with short deliveries, which hurried up the batsmen.
Southee conceded just 22 runs off his four overs, including one over that cost just one run.
He was well backed up by some fielding that was often quite brilliant at times, with Martin Guptill pulling in a stunning left-handed catch above his head at cover to dismiss John Botha off Southee's bowling.
Nicol also somehow reeled in a full-blooded AB de Villiers straight drive off his own bowling to run out a dangerous Duminy.
Southee and Bracewell combined to put the brakes on South Africa's innings as the visitors looked to build a demanding total. Their scoring slowed after the dismissal of de Villiers, and they added just nine runs in a three-over stretch between the 15th and 17th overs.
