oh my word - what a match for Fleming & The Black Caps!!!!!
I was not too enthused about chasing 307 but once the coverage came on at 80/0 after 13 I could not stop watching. It may not be the greatest ODI win for NZ but it certainly rates amongst the best. Probably the best Kiwi chase I have seen since Cairn's effort in the Nairobi final, and b4 that the 297 V England by Coney & Hadlee.
I agree that NZ would have been hot favorites to reach the 307. At the time the match was stopped for rain & the overs reduced NZ were ahead of the SA innings at the same stage, and had been pulling away over the last 5 - 10 overs. With big hitters like Cairns, Adams, McCullum, Oram, Styris & Bond all to come and Astle well established, the Kiwi batting had a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of the platform created - something they have not been able to do for some time. Pollock had had to use his best bowlers to try and break thru, so their attack would have had many of their teeth pulled on a batter friendly pitch.
In some ways SA may feel robbed having posted a score of 306 (shades of the recent Ind V WI ODI series???), but in others NZ were robbed of the opportunity to post an even more emphatic victory!!!
Flemings' innings was all control & class and he dominated the SAfricans into submission. The innings gets my vote as the best of the WC to date & this was probably the best match to date.
On the local TV link Ian Chappel could not stop raving about Fleming - his batting, his Captaincy & his approach to cricket. He also said that IHO NZ is the only team in the game that is not intimidated by the Aussies, and that has a lot to do with Fleming whom he rates as the best Captain in the game at the moment. Very big praise from a legend in the sport.
The bowling from both teams looked ordinary but I think this was as much due to the pitch & smallish ground as anything. Vettori & Styris were also heroes for NZ, despite each having 20 odd taken off their last overs.
There is much to enthuse about this victory & the performance from the top order, but they must not let this become another one off performance. The rest of the batting order must find some form & consistency in the remaining group matches b4 heading into the Super Six.