Hot Spot gets the cold shoulder

A vital part of New Zealand's machinery is their fielding. However, someone forgot to tend to it on Friday. The first symptoms appeared in the sixth over when Tom Latham at first slip and wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi stared at each other instead of going after an outside edge from Hashim Amla in the sixth over. If that wasn't bad enough, Daniel Vettori later hugged the fine leg boundary and squinted up against the sun to try and track a top-edged pull from Amla - which landed inside the 30-yard circle. Tim Southee was the bowler on both occasions, and all he got for his efforts was a sheepish gesture from Vettori to indicate he had not caught sight of the ball.

South Africa's fielders were no better. Martin Guptill misjudged a good length ball from Vernon Philander in the fourth over and his top-edged pull looped up to entice two fielders. Dale Steyn was rushing forward from short fine leg, while AB de Villiers was hunting it from square leg. Neither fielder had called for the catch as both of them were worried about the collision and eventually the ball fell right between them.

Perhaps he was smarting from that fielding gaffe. Perhaps he thought a 282-run total was large enough. Perhaps he was just bored. Whatever the reason, de Villiers took the ball in the 15th over and filled it with short and wide deliveries to the right-handed Dean Brownlie. He didn't improve on his length in the next over he gave himself, and Tom Latham had the opportunity to thump a leg-side long hop anywhere he wanted. A few seconds later, de Villiers was celebrating a maiden ODI wicket as the batsman's pull had obligingly found short fine leg.

Imran Tahir had flown into an intimidating appeal - hands spread out and eyes nearly popping from the sockets - after trapping Brendon McCullum on his pads in the 21st over. It was good enough to convince umpire Steve Davis, but the New Zealand captain knew better and opted for a review. He had lunged a long way forward and planted his front leg across as well while trying to sweep and though he was struck on the back pad, the impact was just wide enough outside off stump. The same process was re-enacted in the 25th over. This time Tahir had sneaked in the googly to slide under McCullum's sweep and hit him low on the front pad. Another vociferous appeal. Umpire Davis upheld it again and McCullum's decision to go for a second opinion only resulted in confirmation of his wicket.

"I like that," de Villiers said as No. 11 Mitchell McClenaghan nailed a reverse sweep in the 38th over. The batsman had reached it on the full and struck it in front of point as well to draw some high praise. And perhaps that had tempted McClenghan to keep pursuing the shot. He repeated it in the 42nd over and got three runs off JP Duminy. But third time wasn't quite the charm. Not against Morne Morkel's pace anyway. South Africa thought they had finally ended the last-wicket partnership when McClenaghan seemed to have gloved the ball through to Quinton de Kock. Umpire Davis, though, disagreed and DRS was called into play again. Hot Spot seemed to indicate it had come off the glove. However, for a second time in two matches, Hot Spot received the cold shoulder and McClenaghan got to stay unbeaten.