New Zealand victory squares the youth series

New Zealand Under-19s beat their South African counterparts by 19 runs at the Eden Park Outer Oval today. The one-day series between the teams finished one-all, with one abandonment.

This was the closest and best game of the three, with the individual brilliance of South African opener James Schorn just being eclipsed by New Zealand's team effort.

Schorn's innings of 93 dominated his team's reply to New Zealand's 239. It comprised three distinct phases. The first was an onslaught against the home team's opening attack. Taraia Robin decided to use short-pitched bowling against Schorn, presumably regarding the opener as a compulsive hooker.

Compulsive, perhaps, but also effective, with Robin's first bouncer sent over the long-leg boundary. The next short one did find the edge and was caught by Brendon McCullum. Inevitably, a head-high no-ball was called. The tall Central Districts quickie had to be content with clanging Schorn on the helmet.

Schorn was also harsh on Ian Butler. A back-foot cover drive for six was the shot of the series.

Three wickets fell as Sam Whiteman and Andrew Ellis reimposed control for New Zealand. Chad Baxter and the dangerous Hashim Amla both failed to score. Now Schorn reverted to safe mode, supporting Johan Botha as the acting skipper dominated a third wicket partnership of 62, scoring six fours in his 42.

When Botha was out Schorn went back onto the attack, showing that he could be as destructive against spin as against pace. Rob Nicol was hit for two huge sixes over midwicket, one thudding against the Number One ground's West Stand, the other denting the team mini-bus.

Just as a century and victory seemed inevitable, Schorn holed out to Jesse Ryder at deep square leg off the apparently harmless medium pace of Greg Todd. He faced 106 balls, with eight fours and four sixes.

Christo Karemaker and Zwelibanzi Homani put up some resistance, but with Schorn gone South Africa tumbled to defeat.

Earlier, the New Zealand innings had followed the pattern of the two previous games, with the lower order having to compensate for earlier collapse. Skipper McCullum came to the middle with the score on seven for two. It was soon clear that he did not intend to be inhibited by the situation. Monde Zondeki's third over went for 22. Three imperious off drives for four were punctuated by a hooked six.

With Todd also finding his touch with fours to long off and midwicket in Gerhard de Bruin's third over, acting captain Botha brought himself on. McCullum dealt with his first three deliveries as follows: four to midwicket, six over the sightscreen, four to long on.

The fifty partnership for the third wicket came up in just 24 balls.

McCullum threw it away by hitting Botha straight to Zondeki at mid off. His 44 came from 23 balls, and included six fours and two sixes. McCullum's innings was glorious, but his departure meant that a New Zealand batsman was out in the forties for the fifth time in the series.

At 129 for five there was plenty to do if South Africa were to be set a defendable target. Nicol's disciplined 46 was at the heart of the recovery. He was well-supported by Ellis in a partnership of 45. For the third successive time, Ellis batted well in a tricky situation. His later bowling figures were 10-1-23-3. He was New Zealand's Man of the Match and of the Series.

A ten-ball twenty from Robin pushed the New Zealanders along to a total that proved just too much for South Africa.

Of the players to appear in Tests and one-day games on this tour McCullum, Ellis and Stewart of New Zealand and Botha, Amla, Homani and Schorn of South Africa have looked the most likely to go on to play at the highest level. Who is to say that some of the others will not match or surpass them in years to come?