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The hosts have won all seven ODIs at the Wanderers since they started wearing pink for this fixture, and will wrap up a series win if they make it eight in a row

The Preview by Liam Brickhill26-Jan-2019

Big Picture

A see-sawing series turns celebratory as Pakistan and South Africa return to Johannesburg for the annual PinkDay ODI event at the Wanderers. This will be the eighth edition of the popular fixture, which has helped to raise nearly R 5 million (USD 370,000 approx) for various breast-cancer-awareness organisations over the past six years.and a crowd of 24,000 is expected with tickets sold out.There’s a special mood at these pink games, and the fixture has created some singular memories over the years, such as when bees (perhaps attracted to the hot pink) stopped play halfway through Sri Lanka’s innings in 2017, with all 13 players, as well as two umpires, lying facedown on the grass. Last year, the PinkDay ODI was the only one out of six in which South Africa managed to beat India, and three years ago Imran Tahir hit the winning runs in a one-wicket win over England. Most notably, of course, the PinkDay was also the occasion of AB de Villiers’ defining innings, when he smashed 16 sixes – and the record for the fastest ODI ton – during his 44-ball 149 against West Indies in 2015.Their misadventures with insect infestations at the Wanderers during this tour notwithstanding, Pakistan have all the ingredients to play their part in what should be another engaging encounter to add to the storied narrative of South Africa’s PinkDay games. The visitors have held their own during the three ODIs so far, even as controversy threatened to derail their tour after the second match.Chasing has been key to success in the series so far, with Pakistan winning the first match by five wickets before South Africa reversed the result to draw level and then pulled ahead at a soggy Centurion. The quick turnaround leaves no time for what-ifs and navel-gazing from Pakistan, but the momentum is with South Africa and given the history of the occasion, the hosts will be very hard to beat.

Form guide

South Africa WWLWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLWWL

In the spotlight

Sarfraz Ahmed has barely left the spotlight since the second ODI, though the extra attention had more to do with his mouth than his gloves or bat. While there has been no announcement from the ICC about an official sanction for Safraz’ comments to Andile Phehlukwayo, his words have cast a shadow over the tour and on the field Sarfraz has pushed himself down the order as low as no. 8 with middling results. His actions will continue to be scrutinised, as will his returns as captain.The no. 7 position in South Africa’s XI is one of the few places in the side without a settled incumbent. Andile Phehlukwayo staked a bold claim for the position with his career-best performance in Durban, but then leaked 71 runs at Centurion. It’s a position Dwaine Pretorius might also look to fill, and behind him Chris Morris and Wiaan Mulder – both included in South Africa’s T20 squad – will also have designs on it. Another strong all-round showing from Phehlukwayo would go some way towards holding off the competition.Fakhar Zaman swivels into a pull•Getty Images

Team news

Left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks should get another chance on what has become his home ground with the Lions franchise, and if the track looks flat and hard South Africa may look to bolster their seam attack and lower order with allrounder Dwaine Pretorius, who also plays his domestic cricket here. If not, South Africa may look to swap Tabraiz Shamsi for Imran Tahir, who has a decent record at this ground with 7 wickets at 22.57, after Shamsi put in an inconsistent performance at Centurion.South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Reeza Hendricks, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Beuran Hendricks, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi/Imran TahirSarfraz Ahmed has apologised in person to Andile Phehlukwayo for his racially-charged on-field taunt, but is yet to face any official sanction for the incident from the ICC. That issue aside, Pakistan’s selections, like South Africa’s, will be influenced by conditions. While the top order
is fairly stable, Faheem Ashraf’s seamers could put him ahead of Imad Wasim, though Imad’s handy lower-order runs at Centurion will be hard to ignore. Fakhar Zaman’s poor returns in the series could see him make way to set up Shan Masood’s ODI debut, Masood having looked in decent nick during the Tests.Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman/Shan Masood, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Imad Wasim/Faheem Ashraf, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pitch and conditions

Limited-overs pitches at the Wanderers tend to provide some of the best batting conditions anywhere in the country, and 400 has been breached three times in ODIs here (including twice, famously, in the same game). The last time South Africa and Pakistan met in an ODI here, South Africa racked up 343 for 5 to win by 34 runs and anything other than a belter would be something of a surprise. Don’t be surprised, though, if there’s a little rain around in the afternoon, as there often is at this time of the year on the Highveld.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have never lost a Pink ODI.
• During the course of the third ODI, Imam ul Haq became the second-fastest player to 1000 runs in ODIs.
• Hashim Amla needs to score 89 to reach 500 runs at the Wanderers, entering the top five of the list of ODI runscorers at a ground where he is also just four runs shy of the record for most Test runs.

Quotes

“PinkDay will once again demonstrate the remarkable power of how sport can mobilise support for a cause that affects millions of people around the world.”

The current trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have a more outstanding collection of fast-bowling attributes than the pace trio of 2013, according to Ryan Harris

Daniel Brettig07-Nov-2017Ryan Harris rates Australia’s Ashes pace battery of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins as superior to the trio he formed with Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle to inflict a 5-0 sweep on England in 2013-14, but believes both teams face potential trouble in the form of unsettled batting line-ups.In a judgement some may find surprising, given the older group combined for a total of 627 Test wickets, including 75 in that Ashes series alone, Harris said that this summer’s combination boasted a more outstanding collection of fast-bowling attributes than the one he was a part of, starting with Hazlewood’s greater height.”I think so. Hazlewood’s probably doing the job that I did and he’s quicker than me, and he gets more bounce,” Harris said in Adelaide when asked if the current attack was better than his own. “And you’ve got Starc who can definitely do a Johnson role, and you’ve got Cummins so you’ve probably got an extra bit of pace.”Cummins on his day, he’s fast as well. Obviously we did a good job last time but the key is going to be working as a team, as a bowling unit. That’s what we did well last time and obviously got the results.”Australia and England each enter the series with doubt swirling around their batting line-ups – for the visitors at the top of the order and the hosts in the middle order. Then there is the uncertainty around the possible participation of Ben Stokes – pending a police investigation and an ECB internal investigation – after his involvement in a fight outside a Bristol nightclub during the northern season. Harris said these issues raised the potential for a closer series than four years ago.”I think both squads are a bit unsettled, more on their batting line-ups, which I think brings them closer together,” Harris said. “I think Australia have got a pretty good idea of who they want to pick but having unsettled feelings going into that first Test – the bowling line-ups are fine – but I think they’re on even par with their batting line-ups.””[Stokes missing] it’s huge. He’s the one that if England lose wickets at the top he is the one that comes out and steadies or counter-attacks. It’s a big hole for England to be honest. I’m sure Australia will be happy he’s not here but they’d also want him here because you want to play against and win against the best. I guess time will tell whether he comes but I think it’s a big hole for them.”Joe Root’s tourists are in Adelaide preparing for a four-day floodlit fixture that will give them a first look at the conditions in which the inaugural day-night Ashes Test will be staged in early December. Harris is coaching a Cricket Australia XI that lacks bowlers of the sort of velocity expected from Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood, but he still expected the adjustment to be a challenging one for England.”The ball will probably swing early around start time, it may stop swinging in that sort of 30-45 overs and then when it gets to dusk the grass seems to stand up and it zips around,” he said. “We saw in the Shield game the other week that Starc got it to talk a bit around that time when the sun goes down.”Talking to a couple of boys they find it tough to bat around that time so that’s where we’ll try to make it as hard as we can for them. Hopefully we’re not batting around that time, that’s my plan. But they’ll have to get used to that real hard seeing time, and we’ve got some good bowlers here. We haven’t got the pace of Starc or Cummins or Hazlewood, but they’ll have to get used to it.”As for the possibility that the moving pink ball would provide an advantage for England, Harris said he saw bowling attacks as the strong suit of each team. “The bowling line-ups are world class and I think they’re going to have a big say on each Test match,” he said. “With the ball moving around, it’s been well documented that we’ve had trouble with that, but we’re in our own conditions.”But Anderson and Broad – I’m not sure about England’s third quick, probably Woakes – but those two blokes can destroy games and destroy line-ups and they’re proven good bowlers over here. Anderson’s gotten better in these conditions, it’s pacey and Broad likes
the pace.”Having met with the national coach Darren Lehmann before venturing to Adelaide, Harris said the invitational side was not planning to “bat for four days” but would endeavour to make life difficult for the tourists, while also keeping a close eye out for any information that might be useful once the Test matches start.

Moeen Ali has said that England’s batting approach in the second ODI against Bangladesh was similar to how they played before their surge in limited-overs cricket

Mohammad Isam11-Oct-2016Moeen Ali has said that England’s batting approach in the second ODI against Bangladesh was similar to how the team played before their surge over the last 18 months in limited-overs cricket. He said that the team would rather lose while playing with their new-found, aggressive method than take a step back.On Sunday, in the second ODI, their innings run rate was 4.56 per over, their third-lowest in a completed innings over the last 18 months. They also struck only 17 fours and single six, while they have had at least seven matches during this time when they struck at least 10 sixes. But a disciplined bowling effort from Bangladesh and a sluggish pitch slowed them down in the 44.4 overs.”I think the most disappointing thing was that we batted a little bit like the old England for the first time in a couple of years,” Moeen said on the eve of the series-decider in Chittagong. “That’s more disappointing, the way we lost. We would rather lose the game playing the way we played in the last two years. So hopefully tomorrow [Wednesday] we can play the way we have been batting and not just throw our wickets away. It was a decent pitch to bat on.”Since their early exit in the 2015 World Cup, England have won four of the six bilateral ODI series. Fourteen of their 48 300-plus scores have come in the 32 matches during this period. Twice they have gone past 400 runs, a score they never touched earlier, and their overall run-rate in this period, 6.27 runs per over, is the highest among all teams.Eight of their batsmen have 100-plus strike-rates, making this one of the most aggressive England limited-overs line-ups in history. Another major indicator of their batting improvement is the increase in their historic run-rate, from 4.71 to 4.78, in these 18 months.Moeen said that they were not too concerned by the sudden downturn in their batting aggression, but admitted the team needed a quick turnaround.”We just took a small step back, it wasn’t as bad as probably the way Bangladesh batted in the first game. But these things can happen when you are chasing. We didn’t play the way we can play,” he said. “We played like we played almost back in the day.”England’s practice session was also affected by the heavy rain in Chittagong. The visitors could only finish their warm-ups in the morning session on Tuesday, and most of their net session was held at the indoor facilities.”We are used to this weather. Some of the guys had a hit, some guys have gone indoors,” Moeen said. “It is more of a mental preparation. Some guys batted well last game so preparation-wise, we are fine.”Moeen said that Bangladesh probably took their foot off the pedal towards the end of the first game, which allowed the visitors a dramatic win, but he felt England had not yet played their best game in the series.”We are a different side now than we were before. I know the last game we didn’t bat well,” he said. “Bangladesh are good at home anyway, any ground at home. It just eggs us on to score big runs and win.”It’s going to be a tough game for us we know that, they should have probably won the first game they let us off a little bit. We still have our best to come.”

Left-arm spinner Rahil Shah ended with match figures of 9 for 81, helping Tamil Nadu seal a thrilling seven-run win against Baroda in Chennai

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai03-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Rahil Shah ended with match figures of 9 for 81•Sivaraman Kitta

With the ball ripping and spitting from a length on a Chennai minefield, any target in the fourth innings was going to be a difficult task. Baroda’s left-arm spinner Bharghav Bhatt’s match haul of 10 wickets had helped his team edge ahead at stumps on the second day, but it was Rahil Shah’s nine wickets which tipped a see-sawing thriller Tamil Nadu’s way. Seconds after the No.11 Sagar Mangalorkar was snaffled by Rahil, the spinner was mobbed by his team-mates in a raucous celebration.

Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund on…

The rank turner and the last-gasp finish
“It wasn’t an easy wicket to bat. Even though there was a partnership of 10-13 runs, we knew it would be hard for a new batsman. We always knew it was a matter of just one wicket. We got a lucky strike, hitting the gloves of Dinesh and carrying to Bharath [slip]. Pinal Shah – that was an important wicket. The bowlers kept believing.”
The key moment of the match
“Yusuf Pathan’s wicket was the turning point. His 41 in the first innings gave them momentum and he also started rotating the strike, which was more dangerous on wickets like this. There was a big plan. It was important we learned from the mistakes in the first innings. We put our best fielders there [deep midwicket and long-on]. Instinctively, I thought the batsman would predetermine his shot to mid-wicket. I wanted to prevent that as that was his only option. I removed silly point and it worked.”
Playing his 100th first-class game
“Not a memorable [milestone] for me personally as I got a pair, but an excellent one for the team and I’m happy. I thought we bowled brilliantly and fielded really well”

While Rahil punched the early holes and wrapped up the innings, Malolan Rangarajan and DT Chandrasekar took care of the middle order. Baroda had more than a whiff of a chance when Deepak Hooda and Hardik Pandya took the attack to the hosts in a 33-run partnership, but Tamil Nadu held their nerve to open their Ranji campaign with a victory.Rahil opened the bowling and found success in his second over of the day when he dismissed Hitesh Solanki for 7. Two balls later, he roared again after having Aditya Waghmode caught at slip for nought but it was nipped in the bud, with replays showing that Rahil’s foot was on the line. Waghmode added only six before he was snapped up smartly by Baba Aparajith, who gave the Baroda captain a mini send-off.Malolan followed that strike with the wickets of Kedar Devdhar and Yusuf Pathan, as Baroda were reduced to 50 for 4 in 17.2 overs. There were only about 10 people in the stands at the start of the second session, after the first was washed out by a persistent drizzle, but once Malolan zipped away, the crowd started slowly building up.Tamil Nadu’s captain Abhinav Mukund identified Yusuf’s wicket as the crucial one after the match and also admitted that it was a plan to place a fielder at deep midwicket. Yusuf had slugged two sixes off Malolan in the first innings and had consistently targeted the leg-side gaps. In the second dig, Yusuf swiped at a ball that was not full enough, and holed out to deep midwicket for 5.Deepak Hooda, who had walked in with his side still 72 runs away from the target, began positively with back-to-back fours. The fourth ball he faced was laced inside out over the covers but it was the powerful reverse-sweep over backward point that stood out. He continued to be positive with his score at various points reading: 14 off 4, 24 off 9, and 30 off 14.Hardik Pandya then fed off Hooda’s approach and pinged Chandrasekar for a six down the ground. Chandrasekar, however, held one back in the next over and had Pandya nicking behind for a run-a-ball 17. Four overs later, Chandrasekar, wary of Hooda tripping down the wicket, shortened his length and hoodwinked the batsman.With a close finish looming, Tamil Nadu remained calm, but they also enjoyed some good fortune. Pinal Shah, who was sharp behind the stumps, edged one behind, and the ball ricocheted off Dinesh Karthik’s gloves and settled into the hands of Bharath Shankar. Murtuja Vahora was then given out leg before despite signs of an inside snick.The close-in catchers also showed good composure, as Rahil wiped off the tail with four wickets in two overs, which culminated in a seven-run win.

Sinhalese Sports Club and Tamil Union remained atop the Group B table after round four of the Premier League, while Moors Sports Club leapt to the top of Group A with a big win over Burgher Recreation club

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Feb-2013Sinhalese Sports Club and Tamil Union remained atop the Group B table after round four of the Premier League, while Moors Sports Club leapt to the top of Group A with a big win over Burgher Recreation club. Round four yielded nine outright results and four innings victories across the ten matches.Thilan Samaraweera was named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad as a replacement for the injured Mahela Jayawardene, but he suffered an injury himself during SSC’s innings and 42-run victory over Navy Sports Club at SSC. Samaraweera had earnt his place in the national side after an emphatic start to the first-class season, and his form brought him a third ton in four matches, as he helped SSC to a 338-run first-innings lead. He twisted his knee while at the crease however, and was forced to retire hurt on 118. The injury is not expected to rule him out for the first Test in Galle, and the selectors are not expected to name a replacement for him in the squad. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kaushal Silva also made a hundred in SSC’s only innings, after Sachithra Senanayake had collected his second five-wicket haul of the season, to reduce navy to 163 all out.Badureliya Sports Club surprised a top club for the second time in the season when they secured a sizeable first-innings lead over Tamil Union at the P Sara Oval, but faded dramatically in the second innings to allow the hosts a reprieve, and a comfortable victory. Badureliya’s first innings 310 was built around 19-year-old opener Pabasara Waduge’s second hundred in his rookie first-class season, which he made against the best pace attack in the competition, on what is traditionally the most pace-friendly pitch in the league. He moved to fourth on the league’s run-scorer’s list after the innings, having made 389 runs at 55.57.Tamil Union were kept to 250, after Badureliya made 310 in the first innings, with fresh Test call-ups Kithuruwan Vithanage and Jeevan Mendis making fifties, alongside TM Sampath, but struck quickly through their pacemen to reduce the visitors to 55 for 5 in the second innings, and eventually 153 all out. Mendis picked up eight wickets in the match, raising his chances of a Test debut after already impressing with the bat, and Mahela Udawatte’s fourth innings 124 ensured Tamil Union suffered no more hiccups, as they chased down 214 to win.A big first-innings ton from Angelo Mathews set up a 236-run lead for Colts Cricket Club over Army Sports Club, who were group leaders before this match, but despite enforcing the follow-on, Colts were unable to secure victory. Mathews’ 210-ball 155 is a welcome boost for the new Sri Lanka Test captain, who has often struggled to put big scores together at Test level. Army were skittled for 151 in the first innings, but dug in after being asked to bat again, primarily through Rishan Kavinga and Asela Gunaratne, who both made hundreds. Army’s 469 all out in the third innings ate up 114 overs, and made a result impossible for Colts.Shehan Jayasuriya and Chaturanga de Silva tuned up for their match for the Emerging XI against visiting Bangladesh next weekend with two hundreds for Moors Sports Club, who brushed aside Burgher Recreation Club by an innings and 233 runs. Jayasuriya made 123 from 160, and de Silva hit 113 from 125, before left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara took 12 wickets for 94 to complete the rout.Nondescripts Cricket Club’s young stars shone again as they claimed their third victory of the season, over Ports Authority Cricket Club, to retain their place at third on the Group B table. Tharindu Kaushal took another five-wicket haul, as he too prepares to play against Bangladesh in Matara, while Dinesh Chandimal made 47 and 73 in his two innings. Chamara Kapugedara also made a 79 in the 101-run win.Prasanna Jayawardene has not yet begun keeping full time for Panadura Cricket Club, but contributed a 79 to an innings win over Saracens Sports Club that was also notable for Malith Chathuranga’s 123 from No. 8. Elsewhere, Michael Vandort’s 251 – the highest score in the season so far – and a six-wicket, first-innings haul for Malinga Bandara, resulted in Ragama Cricket Club defeating Air Force Sports Club by an innings and 27 runs.Slow-bowling allrounder Sachith Pathirana took 11 wickets for 206 and made a 32-ball 62 for Chilaw Marians, in their match against Colombo Cricket Club, but still could not prevent his team from slipping to their third defeat in the season, and Suraj Randiv’s 6 for 69 in the second innings helped Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club dismiss Lankan Cricket Club 93 runs short of their target, as he attempts to hold off Kaushal and both Ajantha and Jeevan Mendis for the second spinner’s position in the national side.

Shaun Marsh has reflected on a horrific Test summer, admitting that by the time of the final match in Adelaide he was “almost a walking wicket”

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2012Shaun Marsh has reflected on a horrific Test summer as he begins his batting rehabilitation in the Sheffield Shield, admitting that by the time of the final match in Adelaide he was “almost a walking wicket”.Marsh is taking the field for Western Australia against Queensland at the Gabba this week, intent on regaining the form and confidence that drained so completely from his batting against India. He has acknowledged that the selectors’ call to send him back to his state, far from the madding crowd, was the right one.”I would love to be playing for Australia but it is going to be good for me to get out of the spotlight and train hard for WA,” Marsh told Brisbane’s . “I am not going to go hiding in this period. You can go two ways. You can take the easy option and go hide behind a brick wall or you can go about your business and go and get some runs again.”I am at the bottom of the barrel right now but other people have been in this position and come back and had nice careers for Australia. I know if I keep doing the right things it will change.”Having begun his Test career with so much poise in Sri Lanka and South Africa, Marsh battled to overcome a back complaint and was hurried back into the team for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, where he commenced a series that would reap a meagre 17 runs in six innings.Things were never worse than the first morning in Adelaide, when he missed a straight ball from R Ashwin to be bowled. Of that moment, Marsh said: “By the time of that dismissal I was just so tentative in the middle. I was almost like a walking wicket.”So much had changed from the first innings of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in November, when Marsh held his own against Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander on a treacherous pitch in the company of his captain Michael Clarke.”I was having the time of my life,” Marsh said. “I was just starting to feel at home in Test cricket. It was fantastic. It was tough but I was loving every minute of facing two of the best bowlers in the world in [Morne] Morkel and [Dale] Steyn on a very difficult wicket.”However a blow to the groin unbalanced Marsh, and soon after he began to feel growing pain and immobility in his back, losing his wicket soon after. He made a lame duck in the second innings, and has been unable to relocate his Test match touch since.”Two balls before lunch I got hit in the groin area,” Marsh said. “I felt myself seizing up in the lunch break. Just after lunch I felt a pop in my back. It got worse and worse and I got out shortly afterwards ([or 44].”

The rescheduling of the one-day international series against the West Indies from December to late January has resulted in a loss of US$125,000 to Sri Lanka Cricket

Sa'adi Thawfeeq28-Jan-2011The rescheduling of the one-day international series against the West Indies from December to late January has resulted in a loss of US$125,000 to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The series had to be postponed due to persistent bad weather across the island, and the number of matches was also curtailed from five to three.Ajith Jayasekera, the SLC acting CEO, stated that the board had incurred a loss of approximately US$25,000 on each of the five matches that was to be televised by their broadcast partner Ten Sports. “We couldn’t play the five matches and we didn’t get the fee per match,” Jayasekara said.”The three-match series which is due to begin on January 31 is not a planned tour according to the agreement signed with the television broadcasting company. We have obtained legal advice and they say it should be considered a separate tour. It is not in the tour program according to the contract.”Ten Sports had not planned for the postponement of the tour which occurred due to unforeseen circumstances and they were unable to meet those conditions. They also had no obligations for the current series.”In the absence of the regular broadcaster, the matches will be shown by Sri Lanka’s national television station Rupavahini but will not be broadcast to the international audience.The venues for the matches have also undergone changes with all three of them scheduled to be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The first match is to be played on January 31 followed by the second and third on February 3 and 6.Originally the matches were to be played at two World Cup venues, the first at Hambantota and the second and third at the R Premadasa Stadium. “At this point of time, there is no point in us being concerned about being unable to play at the World Cup venues,” Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, said.”Our mental approach has to be regardless of getting experience on the wickets, there is a World Cup to be played, and played well. So our preparation is going to be the same. We are strong enough and we have the character to deal with whatever comes our way.”The series will be played in aid of the flood victims who lost their homes, belongings and loved ones during the recent floods in the country. Proceeds of all ticket sales will go to the flood victims, according to SLC.

Brad Haddin’s second one-day international century gave Australia a 2-1 lead and the most one-sided victory of the tour, as they chased down their target with 16 balls to spare

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale09-Mar-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrad Haddin’s best ODI score buried New Zealand•Getty Images

Brad Haddin’s second one-day international century gave Australia a 2-1 lead and the most one-sided victory of the tour, as they chased down their target with 16 balls to spare. Haddin’s 110 was his highest ODI score and he ended Daniel Vettori’s hopes of winning what he said before the match was “the most important game of the series”.Ricky Ponting was annoyed in the opening two games at his batsmen’s inability to capitalise on their starts, and they resolved that problem at Seddon Park. Ponting made 69 and combined with Haddin for a matchwinning 151-run partnership that justified Ponting’s rare decision to send New Zealand in. It is a gamble he has taken 24 times in his ODI captaincy career for a remarkable 20 victories.His bowlers did the job early by dismissing New Zealand for a thoroughly gettable 245 and in the chase, Haddin set about determining the result early. Haddin loves batting against New Zealand; his only two ODI hundreds and his first Test century have come against them, and in all three forms of the game he averages 52.06 against New Zealand compared to an overall career mark of 34.55.He did cruel things to Michael Mason, who at 35 was playing his first international since mid-2008 and must have finished the day wondering if fighting back into the team was all worthwhile. Mason’s opening delivery, a no-ball, was dabbed by Haddin for four past the wicketkeeper and the subsequent free-hit was slapped contemptuously back over his head for six.It left Mason with the extraordinary economy rate of 66 after one legal delivery. Haddin drove two more boundaries in the over, which cost Mason 20, and the bowler was lucky that his ten overs cost only 68. Haddin brought up his fifty from 51 deliveries and also attacked with confidence against Scott Styris, who was hit back over his head for six.Haddin’s timing was exquisite and his shots appeared effortless. Every one of his seven fours and five sixes was felt by Shane Bond, who had put down an extremely tough caught-and-bowled chance when Haddin was on 8, and later by Tim Southee, who put him down on the boundary when he had 83. He ended up being stumped advancing to Vettori with 16 runs still required, and Cameron White and Adam Voges finished the job at a reduced pace.It was the Haddin-Ponting partnership that buried New Zealand. Ponting’s half-century came at nearly a run a ball and featured seven boundaries but it was a support role. The best bowlers, Vettori and Bond, were respected while Styris and Mason were targeted by the two Australians. They knew that Vettori’s bowling options were limited and the only wicket in the first 30 overs was the run-out of Shane Watson for 15.All in all, it vindicated Ponting’s unexpected decision at the toss; Vettori said he would have batted if given the choice. There was little assistance for Australia’s bowlers on a good batting surface but after a footwork-free Peter Ingram edged Ryan Harris behind in the first over, New Zealand struggled to make the best of the opportunity and slipped to 55 for 3.They had much the same problem Australia had endured in the first two games when they batted first: batsmen falling after making promising starts. Five of New Zealand’s top six made scores in the 20s to 40s and Ross Taylor was the only man who went on and registered a half-century, although even his 62 was short of what it could have been.Having missed the Auckland loss due to a leg injury, Taylor showed the rest had not done him any harm as he rocketed off the mark with a crunching square-driven boundary off Mitchell Johnson. He struck a pair of sixes, one pulled off James Hopes and one slog-swept off Nathan Hauritz, and moved to his half-century from 45 balls.But the Australians knew that if they could tie Taylor down they might get a chance, and it came when he faced 20 balls without a boundary just after passing fifty. Watson came on and sent down a bouncer, Taylor’s eyes lit up and he went for the hook, the ball skied off the top edge and Michael Hussey completed the catch at deep square leg.It was a crucial wicket and left New Zealand five down in the 30th over. Styris continued his consistent series with 41 and combined with Gareth Hopkins for a 67-run stand that pushed the hosts past 200 but when they departed, so did New Zealand’s hopes of batting out their overs.Styris skied Watson to long-off and Hopkins, who improvised well in his career-best 45, was taken at mid-off from the bowling of Harris, who finished with 3 for 48. Johnson grabbed three wickets as well and the final three New Zealanders fell for five runs and they were bowled out with 22 deliveries still available.Of course, it was the top-order men who should have stayed at the crease longer. Brendon McCullum (23), Martin Guptill (21) and Neil Broom, who laboured to 24, missed their chances against a ball that wasn’t really swinging. Australia fixed their similar problem in this match; New Zealand must do the same on Thursday to stay in the series.