Cricket: White Ferns increase series advantage with big win

Morna Nielsen of New Zealand celebrates taking the wicket of Lizelle Lee of South Africa. Photosport

For the second match in a row the White Ferns powerful top order have guided the team to a dominant victory. The eight wicket win at Boland Park in Paarl gives the New Zealanders a strong 3-1 lead in the best of seven match series.

Needing 195 for victory Rachel Priest and Amy Satterthwaite led the way for the White Ferns as they fell into a quick scoring rhythm and took the game away from South Africa.

Priest took to the South Africa attack in her 67 ball stay at the crease launching 13 fours and a six in 79 minutes.

Satterthwaite showed a change in venue couldn't break her batting form as she picked up from where Priest left off and calmly guided New Zealand home. In the process the Cantabrian recorded her second consecutive not out score in the 80s. The effort taking her series average to 118.

Priest and Satterthwaite were united after Nat Dodd fell in just the second over. Any fears the White Ferns may suffer similar stumbles to South Africa were quickly put to bed.

The senior pair raced firstly to a 50 partnership off just 36 balls in 25 minutes. The hundred partnership then coming off 86 balls in 54 minutes.

Priest would depart with just 52 runs needed for victory but Satterthwaite and Katey Martin enjoyed their own 50 run stand to guide the side home with 130 balls to spare.

Tight bowling and sharp work in the field were the hallmarks of a bowling effort by the White Ferns that restricted the hosts to under 200.

South Africa will be left to consider the impact of a poor start and poor finish to their batting innings. The Proteas lost two wickets inside the first three overs and then four wickets in the 49th over to complete troubling bookends to their batting efforts.

Solid middle order partnerships had made a score of 200 plus look very much on for the home team but the clumps of wickets put a stop to those chances.

The first partnership of note came between Mignon du Preez and Dinesha Devnarain. The pair were united with South Africa in real early trouble and they played a key steady roll to allow a total to be built with their third wicket combination.

After seeming settled the duo's stand was broken by Hannah Rowe just after they'd put on 50 runs. Mignon du Preez becoming the young Manawatu bowler's first ODI wicket. Devnarain would go on however and enjoy another handy partnership with Marizanne Kapp to keep South Africa moving.

South Africa inched through the middle overs before a late combination of captain Dane van Niekerk who finished 48 not out and Sune Luus provided the spark that looked like it would carry South Africa on to 200. The pair put on 50 runs in just under half an hour but Luus' wicket at the start of the 49th over triggered the collapse of South Africa's order.

The final four wickets falling for the addition of just two runs. Sharp fielding by the New Zealanders and the composed bowling of star performer Amy Satterthwaite closing things down.

The fifth ODI in the best of seven series will be played at Paarl's Boland Park on Wednesday [9pm NZT].