Oram boost for New Zealand in must-win game
Jacob Oram and Herschelle Gibbs return for the second ODI at St. George's Park, a must-win game for the tourists
Cricinfo staff
29-Nov-2007
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South Africa will look to continue their successful run against New Zealand with a win in the second ODI in Port Elizabeth. The hosts almost faltered during their
run-chase in the first ODI in Durban but a win on Friday will give them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Going by current form, South Africa are clear favourites and this is
even without considering their record
in day-night encounters at St. George's Park - eights win out of ten
ODIs, with one no result.
The hosts will be boosted by the return of Herschelle Gibbs, who had
missed the Twenty20 international and the first ODI with a knee
injury. Gibbs' standby Morne van Wyk has been released from the squad to
play for the Eagles in the SuperSport series.
The other dilemma facing the South African selectors surrounds
their pace attack. New Zealand's batsmen were blown away by Dale Steyn
during the two-Test series, and his inclusion in the playing XI could
dent the tourists' confidence ahead of a must-win game.
However, with Shaun Pollock conceding next to nothing in his ten overs
and Andre Nel playing a pivotal role with both ball and bat in the first
ODI, the axe could fall on Makhaya Ntini, who proved to be expensive,
especially at the death in Durban. Johan Botha might play despite unimpressive
showings in recent ODIs, since the pitch at St. George's Park could
favour the slower bowlers.
Graeme Smith, the South African captain, hinted at possible changes in
the bowling line-up. "We've got to look at the wicket and the
conditions, but obviously Dale [Steyn] and [Charl] Langeveldt come into
the equation," he was quoted as saying on the website SuperCricket. "We'll see
what switches we need to make to suit the conditions."
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Smith's opposition counterpart Daniel Vettori must be wondering what his
team needs to do to beat this South African side. New Zealand's
main worry through the Tests was the form of their batsmen, but after
the Durban ODI, the team would be concerned over its bowling options
as well, besides their poor catching, which Vettori highlighted as the main reason for the last-ball loss at Kingsmead.
Kyle Mills' 5 for 25 in Durban would have done Shane Bond proud but New Zealand could have done with some
firepower at the other end - Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin, Scott
Styris and Vettori conceded 220 runs and picked up three wickets.
Allrounder Jacob Oram will be a handy addition to the bowling
department. Oram suffered a hamstring strain in the
first Test, and Vettori indicated the team would play six bowlers.
"Jacob's probably the most important member of our team purely from the
roles he fills, batting at number six and able to bowl 10 overs,"
Vettori told SuperCricket. "It's a luxury not many teams have and having
him back means I can take six bowlers and we get a nice balance when
he's playing."
That means wicketkeeper-batsman Gareth Hopkins, who scored a first-ball duck at Kingsmead, is likely to be dropped. The New Zealand captain also
indicated Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, could get the nod ahead of one
of the quicker bowlers. "The times I've played here, I've always found
it a low, slow wicket and the guys who've been able to take the pace off
it have always succeeded here [in Port Elizabeth]," he said. "So seamers
still have an important role to play, but we'll have a lot of emphasis
on the slow bowlers."
Vettori admitted his team would be under pressure to win the remaining
two matches. "We need to win both matches to give ourselves a shot at
the series," he said. "The way we play tomorrow will be with that in
mind, and we definitely will not be playing defensively.
"We'll be chasing that win as hard as we can, but the key thing is that
when you are chasing a win, you maybe push a little too hard and forget
about a few of the simple things you need to do."
However, Smith said he expected South Africa to up their game, and seal
the series. "We want to be more clinical come tomorrow. It would be
fantastic to close off the series tomorrow," he said. "The guys get a
nice break after this weekend, so hopefully we can step it up and play
some really good cricket."