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DURBAN - AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and Mark Boucher powered South Africa to a thrilling two-wicket win over New Zealand in the first one-day international this morning.
After New Zealand had totalled 248 for six, South Africa reached their target off the last ball of the match
with two wickets to spare.
De Villiers scored 87 to marshall the first half of the innings, Duminy took charge of much of the chase with his 46, and Boucher's 35 not out completed the job.
New Zealand did themselves no favours by dropping De Villiers on 21, Boucher on five, and Andre Nel, who was 10 not out, on nought in the final over.
Jamie How's career best 90, which surpassed his previous best of 66 against West Indies in Wellington in 2005-06, guided New Zealand to their respectable total.
How steadied New Zealand in a stand of 72 with opener Brendon McCullum (40), which was ended in the 23rd over when off-spinner Johan Botha bowled the New Zealand wicketkeeper.
Scott Styris (40) helped How add 75 runs for the third wicket before he skied a delivery from fast bowler Nel to mid-on, where Botha held a steepling catch.
Nel, who took 3-46, returned for his second spell to end How's innings in the 48th over when the New Zealander drove hard at a delivery pitched outside his off stump and edged the ball on to his middle stump.
With his next delivery, Nel bowled Gareth Hopkins leg stump.
Medium pacer Kyle Mills, whose 5-25 replaced his 4-14 against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2004-05 as his career best performance, reduced South Africa to 9-2 in the fifth over by bowling Morne van Wyk (0) and having Jacques Kallis (1) caught at first slip by Ross Taylor.
Graeme Smith (44) and De Villiers stood firm in a stand that reached 91 before Smith top-edged a pull off medium pacer Styris and was caught by Chris Martin on the mid-wicket boundary.
De Villiers and Duminy scored steadily together to put on 72 for the fourth wicket, a stand ended in the 39th over when left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori plucked a neat return catch high above his head to remove De Villiers.
South Africa's challenge threatened to fizzle out seven overs later when Duminy mishooked a catch to substitute fielder Jeetan Patel at midwicket but the gritty Boucher held the lower order together and steered the home side to victory.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand
L Vincent b Ntini 6
B McCullum b Botha 40
J How b Nel 90
S Styris c Botha b Nel 40
R Taylor c Nel b Morkel 20
M Sinclair not out 32
G Hopkins b Nel 0
K Mills not out 9
Extras (5lb, 1nb, 5w) 11
Total (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 248
Fall: 12 (Vincent), 2-84 (McCullum), 3-159 (Styris), 4-195 (Taylor), 5-223 (How), 6-223 (Hopkins)
Bowling: Pollock 10-4-21-0, Ntini 9-0-62-1 (1nb, 1w), Nel 10-0-46-3 (3w), Morkel 10-0-54-1 (1w), Botha 9-0-44-1, Duminy 2-0-16-0
South Africa
M Van Wyk b Mills 0
G Smith c Martin b Styris 44
J Kallis c Taylor b Mills 1
A de Villiers c and b Vettori 87
J Duminy c sub (Patel) b Martin 46
M Boucher not out 35
S Pollock c Taylor b Mills 6
A Morkel c McCullum b Mills 0
J Botha c Vincent b Mills 6
A Nel not out 10
Extras (4lb, 10w) 14
Total (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) 249
Falls: 0 (Van Wyk), 2-9 (Kallis), 3-100 (Smith), 4-172 (De Villiers), 5-211 (Duminy), 6-220 (Pollock), 7-222 (Morkel), 8-238 (Botha)
Bowling: Mills 10-2-25-5 (2w), Gillespie 10-3-50-0 (2w), Martin 10-0-65-1 (1w), Vettori 10-0-47-1 (3w), Styris 10-0-58-1 (1w)
Result: South Africa won by 2 wickets.
- REUTERS