World Cup 2019: 3 reasons why New Zealand defeated South Africa

#2 De Grandhomme’s contributions with both bat and ball

Colin de Grandhomme

Colin de Grandhomme (60 runs off 47 balls) was a key player in his team’s win. The all-rounder enjoyed success with both ball and bat.

The 32-year-old was brought on to bowl in the 15th over, and he troubled South Africa’s batsmen from the word go. His balls gripped the pitch; coupled with the movement off the surface, De Grandhomme was very difficult to get away.

He conceded only nine runs off his first five overs, and eventually finished with figures of 1-33 from 10. But his spectacular batting overshadowed his bowling.

De Grandhomme came to the crease with the score on 137-5, still 105 runs short of the target. The match was still in the balance but De Grandhomme scored quickly from the start.

He hit two huge sixes early on in his innings: both were pull shots off South Africa’s pacemen.

The match was virtually won when the batsman was caught in the 47th over. New Zealand needed 14 of 11 balls.