Captain Keshav Maharaj has insisted that inexperience cannot be used as an excuse for South Africa’s batting struggles, despite admitting that a lack of adaptability cost his side a huge loss in their eight-wicket loss to New Zealand at Eden Park.
The defeat saw them trail 2-1 in the five-match T20I series as their top-order once again failed to cope with the home side’s disciplined bowling on a surface that demanded precision.
South Africa, who asked to bat first, never played fluently. Early pressure from New Zealand’s new-ball pair set the tone, with Lockie Ferguson striking early to dismiss Vian Mulder.
Compression continued in the middle overs as Mitchell Santner and Ben Sears kept the score in check as the visitors slipped to 62 for 5 at the half.
Maharaj, fielding a young line-up, refused to be swayed by their relative inexperience despite repeated batting collapses.
“We lost wickets early and it was tough to recover from 46 for 5. But the lower order rallied to put some runs on the board,” Maharaj said.
“But our batting in the first ten overs really set us back. We couldn’t adapt and adjust enough. We’re a young team, not to make excuses, but we want to learn lessons quickly. The beauty of the series is that we’ve got a chance to bounce back,” he added.
A brief lower-order counterattack, led by Gerald Godze and Nkobani Mokoina, boosted the total slightly, but the visitors could manage only 136 for 9 from their 20 overs.
Santner, Sears and Kyle Jamieson underlined New Zealand’s all-round bowling effort.
In response, the hosts approached the chase with quiet authority. Devon Conway provided the early momentum with a blistering 26-ball 39 before Tom Latham took complete control and chased down an unbeaten 63.
Mixing caution with timely aggression, Latham ensured there were no fumbles late on as New Zealand reached their target in 16.2 overs to ensure a comfortable victory with almost four overs to spare.
“There was good seam, bounce. Look at the depth in our pace, Sears and Jamieson, it was a simple blueprint today: try to attack the wicket with some cutters and some slower balls. Neesham’s three overs were massive for us,” said winning captain Mitchell Santner.
New Zealand have bounced back strongly after the opening defeat and now have the momentum going into the final two matches, while South Africa will need a sharp batting performance to stay alive in the series.
The fourth T20I will be played in Wellington on Sunday.