BIRMINGHAM, England, June 19, 2019: South Africa had New Zealand at 137/5.
The target was only 242, but Edgbaston had become slow, awkward and increasingly difficult to score on. Chris Morris had taken three wickets. Imran Tahir was strangling the middle overs. New Zealand had lost four wickets for 65 runs after appearing comfortable.
South Africa, already fighting to keep their World Cup alive, had finally found the opening they needed.
Then Kane Williamson stopped treating the chase like a race.
Colin de Grandhomme did the opposite.
One absorbed pressure. The other attacked it.
Their 91-run partnership dragged New Zealand from danger to within touching distance of victory, but even that did not settle the match. De Grandhomme fell with 14 still required. New Zealand entered the final over needing eight.
Williamson remained.
He swept Andile Phehlukwayo for six to complete his century, then found another boundary to finish the chase with three balls remaining.
New Zealand won by four wickets.
South Africa were left staring at another World Cup game against New Zealand that had been close enough to win and painful enough to remember.
That is why this contest is Match 35 in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs, The Sports Encounter’s series revisiting 100 ODIs in which pressure, momentum and individual brilliance made the final result only part of the story.
TL;DR
- Rain and a wet outfield reduced the match to 49 overs per side.
- New Zealand won the toss and chose to field.
- South Africa made 241/6.
- Rassie van der Dussen top-scored with an unbeaten 67 from 64 balls.
- Hashim Amla made 55 from 83 balls.
- Lockie Ferguson took 3/59.
- New Zealand fell to 80/4 and later 137/5.
- Kane Williamson anchored the chase with an unbeaten 106 from 138 balls.
- Colin de Grandhomme counterattacked with 60 from 47 balls.
- Williamson and de Grandhomme added 91 for the sixth wicket.
- South Africa failed to review a caught-behind opportunity against Williamson when he was on 76.
- New Zealand needed eight runs from the final over.
- Williamson completed his century with a six.
- New Zealand reached 245/6 in 48.3 overs.
- New Zealand won by four wickets with three balls remaining.
- Williamson was named Player of the Match.
New Zealand vs South Africa 2019 World Cup: Match at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Competition | ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 |
| Match | 25th Match |
| Date | June 19, 2019 |
| Venue | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| Overs | 49 per side |
| Toss | New Zealand won the toss and fielded |
| South Africa | 241/6 in 49 overs |
| New Zealand | 245/6 in 48.3 overs |
| Result | New Zealand won by four wickets |
| Balls remaining | 3 |
| Player of the Match | Kane Williamson |
| South Africa top scorer | Rassie van der Dussen, 67* |
| New Zealand top scorer | Kane Williamson, 106* |
| Best South Africa bowling | Chris Morris, 3/49 |
| Best New Zealand bowling | Lockie Ferguson, 3/59 |
| Key partnership | Williamson and de Grandhomme, 91 |
| Major missed opportunity | South Africa did not review Williamson’s edge on 76 |
| Final-over equation | New Zealand needed eight runs |
Why Match 35 Belongs in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs
Some great ODIs become unforgettable because chaos arrives suddenly.
This one developed differently.
The pressure accumulated slowly.
South Africa never posted a huge total.
New Zealand never collapsed completely.
The required run rate never became impossible.
Yet almost every phase created another question.
Could South Africa reach 250?
Could New Zealand recover from 80/4?
Could Williamson bat deep enough?
Could de Grandhomme attack without throwing away his wicket?
Could South Africa finally dismiss Williamson?
Could New Zealand finish after de Grandhomme fell?
The answer kept changing.
The original A Celebration of 5000 ODIs list selected this match because Williamson’s unbeaten century carried New Zealand through a chase that remained uncertain until the final over.
That is the obvious reason.
The deeper reason is that both teams repeatedly reached positions from which the match could have become theirs.
New Zealand converted theirs.
South Africa did not.
South Africa Spend 49 Overs Searching for Acceleration
South Africa’s 241/6 was competitive.
It never looked completely secure.
Trent Boult struck early when Quinton de Kock was bowled for five.
That wicket immediately pushed Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis toward rebuilding rather than attacking.
They added 50 for the second wicket, but New Zealand rarely allowed the innings to accelerate.
Du Plessis made 23 from 35 balls before Lockie Ferguson bowled him.
Amla remained.
South Africa still struggled to break free.
Hashim Amla Brings Stability but Not the Acceleration South Africa Need
Amla made 55 from 83 deliveries.
He struck four boundaries and became the anchor around which South Africa attempted to rebuild.
The problem was tempo.
New Zealand were happy to concede singles while preventing the boundaries that might have transformed the innings.
Mitchell Santner eventually bowled Amla at 111/3.
South Africa had used more than half their innings and were still well short of a position from which 270 looked realistic.
That placed enormous responsibility on the middle and lower order.
Rassie van der Dussen Gives South Africa Something to Defend
Rassie van der Dussen delivered South Africa’s strongest batting performance.
His unbeaten 67 came from 64 balls.
He hit two fours and three sixes and finally gave South Africa the aggression they had lacked earlier.
David Miller supported him with 36 from 37 balls.
Together, they added 72 for the fifth wicket.
Their partnership lifted South Africa from a difficult middle-overs position toward something defendable.
But just as a total above 250 began to look possible, Lockie Ferguson intervened.
Lockie Ferguson Prevents South Africa From Finishing Stronger
Ferguson finished with 3/59.
His economy rate was higher than some of New Zealand’s other bowlers, but his wickets came at important moments.
He bowled du Plessis.
He removed Miller.
He dismissed Andile Phehlukwayo for a duck.
The Miller wicket mattered most.
Van der Dussen had begun to attack.
South Africa were finally building momentum.
Ferguson stopped that surge.
New Zealand therefore chased 242 rather than something closer to 260.
That difference would become crucial.
Colin de Grandhomme Does Important Work Before He Ever Bats
De Grandhomme’s later 60 understandably dominates memories of his performance.
His bowling was also vital.
He delivered 10 overs for only 33 runs and removed Aiden Markram.
Alongside Matt Henry, he prevented South Africa from accelerating through the middle overs.
Henry conceded 34 runs from his 10.
De Grandhomme conceded 33.
Twenty overs cost only 67 runs.
That was one of the biggest reasons South Africa finished below 250.
Then de Grandhomme returned with the bat and changed the match again.
New Zealand Look Comfortable Until Guptill Steps Onto His Stumps
Colin Munro fell early for nine, caught and bowled by Kagiso Rabada.
Martin Guptill and Williamson then rebuilt.
Their 60-run partnership moved New Zealand to 72/1.
The chase appeared under control.
Then came one of the strangest dismissals of the match.
Guptill tried to hook Phehlukwayo.
His back foot slipped into the stumps.
Hit wicket for 35.
The dismissal itself was unusual.
What followed was far more damaging.
Chris Morris Turns 72/1 Into 80/4
Ross Taylor lasted two deliveries.
Tom Latham lasted four.
Chris Morris removed both.
Taylor edged behind for one.
Latham followed for one.
Within a few overs, New Zealand had gone from 72/1 to 80/4.
South Africa had suddenly transformed a controlled chase into a genuine contest.
This was the first moment when they looked capable of taking complete control.
Williamson remained at the crease.
Everything now depended on removing him.
James Neesham Gives Williamson Time
James Neesham joined Williamson and helped halt the collapse.
His 23 from 34 balls was modest.
Its value came from stability.
The pair added 57 for the fifth wicket.
New Zealand moved from 80/4 to 137/4.
Then Morris struck again.
Neesham departed.
New Zealand were 137/5.
South Africa had finally reached the lower middle order.
The match was there to be won.
Colin de Grandhomme Changes the Tempo
De Grandhomme arrived and immediately changed the shape of the chase.
Williamson had been playing the long game.
De Grandhomme played the urgent one.
He scored 60 from 47 balls.
Five fours.
Two sixes.
A strike rate above 127.
That aggression gave Williamson something every anchor needs in a difficult chase: freedom from having to manufacture every run himself.
Their partnership added 91.
New Zealand moved from 137/5 to 228/5.
South Africa’s strongest position disappeared.
Williamson’s Survival on 76 Becomes South Africa’s Biggest Regret
One of the match’s most important moments did not end with a wicket.
Williamson was on 76 when Imran Tahir found a faint edge through to Quinton de Kock.
South Africa did not review.
Replays later showed that Williamson had made contact.
The decision became enormous because Williamson remained at the crease until the end.
In a match decided with three balls remaining, a missed opportunity involving the opposition captain naturally takes on greater significance.
South Africa had created the chance.
They did not use it.
Kane Williamson Builds a Century Around Patience
Williamson finished unbeaten on 106 from 138 balls.
Nine fours.
One six.
Strike rate: 76.81.
Those numbers need context.
This was not an innings built around domination.
It was built around control.
Williamson understood that 242 did not require reckless acceleration.
New Zealand needed one batter to remain through the difficult periods.
He accepted dot balls.
He respected Tahir.
He resisted Rabada.
He trusted de Grandhomme to attack.
Most importantly, he refused to allow the scoreboard to dictate panic.
That discipline became the defining quality of the chase.
Player of the Match: Kane Williamson
Williamson was the clear Player of the Match.
De Grandhomme changed the tempo.
Ferguson claimed three wickets.
Morris almost won the game for South Africa.
But Williamson connected every phase of New Zealand’s chase.
He was there after Munro fell.
He was there when New Zealand collapsed to 80/4.
He was there at 137/5.
He was there when de Grandhomme counterattacked.
He was there when de Grandhomme was dismissed.
And he was still there when the winning runs arrived.
Only a few days later, Williamson would produce another extraordinary World Cup innings against West Indies, making 148 in the thriller revisited in Match 32 of A Celebration of 5000 ODIs.
Those performances became central to New Zealand’s 2019 World Cup campaign.
De Grandhomme Falls and South Africa Get One Last Chance
Lungi Ngidi finally removed de Grandhomme at 228/6.
New Zealand still needed 14.
South Africa had broken the partnership.
For one last time, the match opened.
Mitchell Santner joined Williamson.
The chase moved into the final over.
Eight runs remained.
South Africa still had a chance.
The Final Over: Williamson Ends It Himself
Phehlukwayo took the ball.
Williamson began the over four short of his century.
New Zealand needed eight.
Williamson swept him for six.
Century.
Two runs effectively remained between New Zealand and victory.
Then came another boundary.
New Zealand reached 245/6 after 48.3 overs.
Three balls remained unused.
The chase that had spent nearly 50 overs refusing to settle ended in two decisive Williamson strokes.
Why South Africa’s 241 Was Never Quite Enough
South Africa lost only six wickets.
That is one of the most revealing facts in the match.
They still had batting resources available.
They simply failed to turn them into enough runs.
Henry and de Grandhomme controlled 20 overs for only 67.
Santner disrupted the middle order.
Ferguson removed batters just as acceleration began.
Van der Dussen and Miller repaired some of the damage.
They could not completely recover the scoring rate.
South Africa therefore entered the defense knowing their bowlers would have little margin for error.
They almost managed it.
Almost was not enough.
Chris Morris Gives South Africa Their Best Chance
Morris was South Africa’s best bowler.
He took 3/49 from 10 overs.
More importantly, his wickets arrived at moments when the match could genuinely change direction.
Taylor.
Latham.
Neesham.
The first two turned 72/2 into 80/4.
The third left New Zealand 137/5.
Morris repeatedly created opportunities.
South Africa simply could not produce the wicket that mattered most.
Williamson’s.
Rassie van der Dussen Deserved More From the Result
Van der Dussen’s unbeaten 67 was an excellent innings under difficult conditions.
He accelerated where others struggled.
He handled Ferguson’s pace.
He found three sixes on a surface where clean hitting was not straightforward.
His partnership with Miller gave South Africa a target they could defend.
Without him, New Zealand might have been chasing something closer to 215.
The frustration for South Africa was that even his contribution did not create enough margin to survive their later mistakes.
Complete Match Scorecard
South Africa Batting: 241/6 in 49 Overs
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinton de Kock | b Trent Boult | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 62.50 |
| Hashim Amla | b Mitchell Santner | 55 | 83 | 4 | 0 | 66.27 |
| Faf du Plessis (c) | b Lockie Ferguson | 23 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 65.71 |
| Aiden Markram | c Colin Munro b Colin de Grandhomme | 38 | 55 | 4 | 0 | 69.09 |
| Rassie van der Dussen | not out | 67 | 64 | 2 | 3 | 104.69 |
| David Miller | c Trent Boult b Lockie Ferguson | 36 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 97.30 |
| Andile Phehlukwayo | c Kane Williamson b Lockie Ferguson | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Chris Morris | not out | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 85.71 |
Did not bat: Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir
Extras: 11
Total: 241/6 in 49 overs
Run rate: 4.92
Fall of wickets: 9/1 Quinton de Kock, 59/2 Faf du Plessis, 111/3 Hashim Amla, 136/4 Aiden Markram, 208/5 David Miller, 218/6 Andile Phehlukwayo.
New Zealand Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Henry | 10 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 3.40 |
| Trent Boult | 10 | 0 | 63 | 1 | 6.30 |
| Lockie Ferguson | 10 | 0 | 59 | 3 | 5.90 |
| Colin de Grandhomme | 10 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 3.30 |
| Mitchell Santner | 9 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 5.00 |
New Zealand Batting: 245/6 in 48.3 Overs
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Guptill | hit wicket b Andile Phehlukwayo | 35 | 59 | 5 | 0 | 59.32 |
| Colin Munro | c & b Kagiso Rabada | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 180.00 |
| Kane Williamson (c) | not out | 106 | 138 | 9 | 1 | 76.81 |
| Ross Taylor | c Quinton de Kock b Chris Morris | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Tom Latham (wk) | c Quinton de Kock b Chris Morris | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| James Neesham | c Hashim Amla b Chris Morris | 23 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 67.65 |
| Colin de Grandhomme | c Faf du Plessis b Lungi Ngidi | 60 | 47 | 5 | 2 | 127.66 |
| Mitchell Santner | not out | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
Did not bat: Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Extras: 8
Total: 245/6 in 48.3 overs
Run rate: 5.05
Fall of wickets: 12/1 Colin Munro, 72/2 Martin Guptill, 74/3 Ross Taylor, 80/4 Tom Latham, 137/5 James Neesham, 228/6 Colin de Grandhomme.
South Africa Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kagiso Rabada | 10 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 4.20 |
| Lungi Ngidi | 10 | 1 | 47 | 1 | 4.70 |
| Chris Morris | 10 | 0 | 49 | 3 | 4.90 |
| Andile Phehlukwayo | 8.3 | 0 | 73 | 1 | 8.60 |
| Imran Tahir | 10 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 3.30 |
Eight Turning Points That Decided the Match
1. Boult Removes de Kock Early
South Africa lost one of their most destructive batters before he could influence the game.
That immediately slowed their powerplay.
2. New Zealand Hold South Africa to 241
Henry and de Grandhomme conceded only 67 runs from their combined 20 overs.
That prevented South Africa from reaching a more imposing total.
3. Guptill’s Hit-Wicket Dismissal Opens the Door
New Zealand were 72/1.
Suddenly Guptill was gone in unusual circumstances.
South Africa sensed an opening.
4. Morris Removes Taylor and Latham
The chase went from stable to dangerous almost immediately.
New Zealand were 80/4.
5. Neesham Falls at 137/5
Morris struck again.
South Africa had finally reached New Zealand’s lower middle order.
6. De Grandhomme Counterattacks
His 60 from 47 transformed the chase.
Williamson no longer had to carry the required rate alone.
7. South Africa Decline the Williamson Review
Williamson survived on 76.
That missed opportunity became one of the decisive moments of the contest.
8. Williamson Takes Responsibility in the Final Over
Eight were needed.
Williamson finished the match himself.
Why the Missed Review Matters More Than the Scorecard Shows
Statistics record runs and wickets.
They do not record every decision that could have changed them.
Williamson’s survival on 76 is one of those moments.
South Africa had been searching for his wicket throughout the chase.
When the opportunity finally appeared, they did not challenge the decision.
Williamson added another 30 runs.
New Zealand won with only three balls remaining.
That does not mean the missed review alone decided the match.
South Africa also left runs behind while batting and missed opportunities elsewhere.
But in a game this close, losing a chance to remove the eventual match-winner becomes impossible to ignore.
Why This Defeat Hurt South Africa So Much
South Africa entered the match needing momentum.
Their World Cup campaign had already begun poorly.
A victory over unbeaten New Zealand could have revived both confidence and qualification hopes.
Instead, they competed for almost the entire day and still lost.
That is often harder to absorb than a heavy defeat.
There was no phase where South Africa were obviously inferior.
They had New Zealand 80/4.
They had them 137/5.
They removed de Grandhomme before the finish.
They created an opportunity against Williamson.
Yet the two points still went to New Zealand.
New Zealand Show the Quality That Defined Their 2019 Run
New Zealand did not win every match through domination.
Their greatest strength was often survival.
They stayed inside contests.
They absorbed pressure.
They waited for the opponent to make the next mistake.
Williamson’s century embodied that mentality.
Three days later, New Zealand would survive another extraordinary game against West Indies when Carlos Brathwaite came within one boundary of completing an astonishing chase.
That thriller appears as Match 32: Brathwaite Falls One Swing Short as New Zealand Escape by Five Runs.
Those two matches together reveal why New Zealand became so difficult to eliminate.
They rarely believed the game was gone.
South Africa and New Zealand Had Been Here Before
For South Africa, losing another tense World Cup match to New Zealand carried uncomfortable historical weight.
New Zealand had already ended major South African campaigns.
In 2011, the Black Caps turned what appeared to be a manageable chase into a quarterfinal collapse. TSE revisited that match in Match 27: New Zealand Turn South Africa’s Comfortable Chase Into World Cup Heartbreak.
Then came Auckland in 2015.
Grant Elliott struck Dale Steyn for six and sent New Zealand into their first World Cup final.
That semifinal appears in Match 29: Elliott’s Six Breaks New Zealand’s Semifinal Barrier and South African Hearts.
Edgbaston was not a knockout match.
For South Africa’s 2019 campaign, it almost felt like one.
South Africa’s World Cup Pattern Appears Again
South Africa’s ODI World Cup history contains an unusually high number of matches in which strong teams have seen control disappear suddenly.
Brian Lara ended their perfect 1996 group campaign with a brilliant quarterfinal innings, revisited in Match 13 of A Celebration of 5000 ODIs.
New Zealand eliminated them in 2011.
Elliott did it again in 2015.
Pakistan dragged them into another pressure game during the same tournament, revisited in Match 30.
The 2019 match fits that history differently.
There was no spectacular collapse.
No rain-rule controversy.
No knockout finality.
South Africa simply lost a match they had repeatedly been close to controlling.
Williamson’s Century Gets Better With Context
A strike rate below 77 can look slow in modern ODI cricket.
That is why context matters.
New Zealand were 80/4.
The surface was slow.
Imran Tahir was difficult to score from.
South Africa’s fast bowlers were creating movement and pressure.
Williamson did not need to dominate.
He needed to survive long enough for the target to remain reachable.
That was his calculation.
De Grandhomme’s arrival then allowed him to continue playing that role.
The innings becomes more impressive once the temptation to judge it only through scoring rate disappears.
Why the Four-Wicket Margin Is Misleading
New Zealand won by four wickets.
That sounds more comfortable than the match actually was.
They lost their sixth wicket with 14 still required.
They entered the final over needing eight.
South Africa had missed a chance to remove Williamson.
Three balls separated the winning side from a very different story.
That is why this match belongs in the series.
The result looks straightforward.
The route to it was anything but.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Won New Zealand vs South Africa at the 2019 Cricket World Cup?
New Zealand won by four wickets, reaching 245/6 in 48.3 overs after South Africa made 241/6 from their 49 overs.
Who Was Player of the Match?
Kane Williamson was Player of the Match after scoring an unbeaten 106 from 138 balls.
How Many Runs Did Kane Williamson Score?
Williamson made 106 not out from 138 balls with nine fours and one six.
How Many Runs Did Colin de Grandhomme Score?
De Grandhomme made 60 from 47 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes.
What Was the Key Partnership?
Williamson and de Grandhomme added 91 runs for the sixth wicket after New Zealand had slipped to 137/5.
What Chance Did South Africa Miss?
South Africa chose not to review a caught-behind opportunity against Williamson when he was on 76. He survived and eventually finished unbeaten on 106.
How Many Runs Did New Zealand Need From the Final Over?
New Zealand needed eight runs from six balls.
Who Was South Africa’s Best Batter?
Rassie van der Dussen top-scored with an unbeaten 67 from 64 deliveries.
Who Took the Most Wickets?
Lockie Ferguson took 3/59 for New Zealand, while Chris Morris returned 3/49 for South Africa.
Why Is This Match Included in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs?
New Zealand fell to 137/5 chasing 242 before Williamson and de Grandhomme rebuilt the innings. South Africa created several chances to win, including an unreviewed edge against Williamson, but New Zealand survived until the final over and completed the chase with only three balls remaining.
A Celebration of 5000 ODIs
35 of 100 Matches
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