A unbeaten century by Rubin Hermann gave South Africa A a winning start to their three-match one-day series against New Zealand A after they won by three wickets in Benoni on Saturday.
The left-handed opener carried his bat to score 158* off 93 balls – including 18 fours and seven sixes – that almost single-handedly took down the opposition.
Hermann scored nearly 70% of the runs in a chase of 230 after the visitors won the toss and opted to bat first at Willowmoore Park where they were bowled out for 229. Tshepo Moreki was the pick of the bowlers with 3-45.
It was then the Hermann show as the home side won with more than 20 overs to spare.
At the start of the day, it was seamers Moreki and Okuhle Cele (1-47), who made the early inroads that left their opponents on 54-3.
Mihlali Mpongwana (1-19) dismissed early-innings top-scorer Rhys Mariu for 38 as further wickets tumbled for the Kiwis in the form of Mitchell Hay and Joshua Clarkson, both out for ducks to returning Proteas bowler Gerald Coetzee (2-45).
And when Muhammad Abbas was cleaned up by Nqaba Peter (2-52), the visitors were on the rocks at 107-7.
But a fine late innings partnership between Zakary Foulkes (74 off 117 balls; six fours, one six) and Simon Keene (37) yielded 66 for the eighth wicket to give their side some hope. And they eventually managed to scramble to 229, which looked well below par at the changeover.
Matthew Fisher (4-61) dismissed three of South Africa A’s top five – Rivaldo Moonsamy, Jordan Hermann and Sinethemba Qeshile – all for ducks to blow open the game early on.
But Rubin Hermann kept his calm at the other end. He put on 51 with captain Marques Ackerman (26) for the third wicket and then added 64 for the fifth wicket with Jason Smith (18).
Adithya Ashok (3-46) was the man to break that biggest stand, and he managed two more wickets.
But South Africa A’s centurion kept going and produced an outstanding individual innings to seal the win.
