South Africa notched up a resounding 190-run win against New Zealand at Pune, courtesy of yet another quality all-round show.

Having been sent in to bat first, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma began in their usual sprightly way, but the skipper’s solid start was cut short when he edged to slip.

From then onwards, De Kock and Rassie van der Dussen gradually wrested control of the game and launched a mammoth 200-run partnership. The keeper-batter made his fourth century of the tournament, while van der Dussen firmly dug in.

Following De Kock’s dismissal, the Proteas staged another tremendous assault at the back end. In spite of a jittery few overs after notching up 50, van der Dussen raced through the gears and brought up his 6th ODI ton. He took apart James Neesham, who was filling in with the ball for the injured Matt Henry.

After van der Dussen got out for 133 – one short of his personal best, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen pitched in with priceless cameos to take SA past 350. Miller would smash a 29-ball half-century, and all the bowlers except Trent Boult were at the receiving end of their share of punishment.

The Kiwis had a herculean task on their plate, and Marco Jansen would inflict telling early damage by dismissing Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra cheaply.

Will Young and Daryl Mitchell tried to weather the storm, but both their encouraging starts were extinguished rather quickly.

The introduction of Keshav Maharaj helped run through the lower middle order, and Glenn Phillips tried to salvage some pride for his side with a fighting 60.

However, it was too steep a mountain to climb, and the SA bowlers set up another commanding win. They’re now at the top of the table after their 7th game, and it’s ensured them a berth in the semifinals.

And the margin of loss for the Blackcaps has made their upcoming game against Pakistan a virtual quarterfinal.

SA 357/4 in 50 overs (van der Dussen 133, de Kock 114 – Southee 10-0-77-2)
NZ 167 in 35.3 overs (Phillips 60 – Maharaj 9-0-46-4, Jansen 8-1-31-3)