Rain halted a gripping contest between South Africa and New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram, preventing Quinton de Kock from guiding his team to victory. New Zealand, batting first, notched up a total of 321 for 6, propelled by impressive half-centuries from Devon Conway and Tom Latham. In response, South Africa had reached 211 for 4, with de Kock and David Miller looking in fine form. Unfortunately, the game was curtailed by rain, with South Africa falling seven runs short of their target according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.

In addition to the weather, New Zealand had reasons to be pleased with Kane Williamson’s performance. He continued his return to full fitness, contributing with a 51-ball 37. However, it was confirmed that he would not be available for the tournament opener against England.

The match featured a total of 17 bowlers between the two teams, with even wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen trying his hand at bowling. However, it was the primary strike bowlers who made the most impact. Trent Boult dismissed Reeza Hendricks early, while Matt Henry provided significant challenges to de Kock and his new partner, Rassie van der Dussen. The duo weathered the storm and tackled the subsequent bowlers.

Van der Dussen played aggressively, accumulating seven of the eight boundaries between the seventh and 14th overs on his way to a half-century. His aggressive batting allowed de Kock to find his rhythm despite a slow start. Their partnership of 72 runs was disrupted when van der Dussen attempted an ambitious shot off Mitchell Santner’s delivery and was caught at cover.

De Kock then displayed his prowess, smashing five fours and a six off the bowling of Santner and Ish Sodhi in consecutive overs. Aidan Markram briefly added momentum to the South African innings, but Sodhi got the better of him, inducing a miscued shot to deep cover.

Klaasen and de Kock formed a crucial partnership, frequently finding the boundaries off Sodhi and Rachin Ravindra, while also rotating the strike effectively. De Kock eventually reached his fifty, but Trent Boult’s return to the attack proved pivotal as he dismissed Klaasen.

Miller and de Kock continued to keep South Africa’s hopes alive, with both batsmen comfortable against the spinners and consistently clearing the boundary ropes. The game appeared to be heading for a thrilling conclusion before rain intervened.

Earlier in the day, Devon Conway played a pivotal role for New Zealand after they chose to bat. He formed a solid partnership with Kane Williamson, supported by Glenn Phillips, resulting in an impressive 218-run stand. Remarkably, New Zealand did not lose a wicket between the fifth and 40th over, with Phillips falling victim to Marco Jansen’s yorker outside off.