South Africa vs New Zealand 2017: 1st ODI, 5 Talking Points
A humdinger at Hamilton saw South Africa edge New Zealand by four wickets in a rain-curtailed affair. Opting to field first, South Africa, aided by Chris Morris, wrecked New Zealand's top order even as skipper Williamson made a fighting half-century.
The innings found impetus towards the end as Southee and de Grandhomme plundered the bowling in a 51-run stand. 207 in 34 overs is child's play these days and Quinton de Kock seemed to make light work of the chase with a superb half-century.
However, some reckless batting thereafter meant South Africa were in a spot of bother but AB de Villiers and Andile Phehlukwayo combined in a superb 54-run stand that shifted the game in South Africa's favour.
Here are the talking points from the first ODI in Hamilton.
#5 Brownlie-Latham set for showdown
New Zealand have a big problem to deal with before the Champions Trophy – their opening combination. While Martin Guptill is expected to be fit and firing by the third ODI, the other spot is a toss up between Tom Latham and Dean Brownlie.
All was going well for Latham until he hit a rough patch in ODIs. The runs dried up and his overall average took a beating. The manner in which he crumbled against top quality seamers like Starc and Hazlewood prompted the selectors to rush Brownlie back into the squad after a long hiatus.
The bearded Brownlie smashed a useful half-century in his comeback match, and today, in the first ODI of the series against the Proteas, he looked good before being dismissed for 31. Meanwhile, Latham departed for a duck off 11 balls.