Published: Mar 24, 2015, 12:21 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 24, 2015, 12:21 PM (IST)
New Zealand skipper and opener, Brendon McCullum scored his 31st half-century in ODIs, against African giants, South Africa, in the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at the Eden Park in Auckland on Tuesday. His fifty came off 25 deliveries including six boundaries and four sixes along with a strike-rate of 231.81. Currently, New Zealand are 59 for no loss in five overs with openers, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill batting on 16 and six, respectively, and the match now being a 42 overs affair due to rain interruption. Live Updates: New Zealand vs South Africa
Earlier, South Africa skipper, AB de Villiers won the toss and elected to bat first on a green and even track at Auckland and finished on 281 for the loss of five, but the target was revised to 298 owing to the rain interruption. He made the only change of bringing in Vernon Philander for Kyle Abbott. While New Zealand skipper, Brendon McCullum confirmed that Matt Henry comes in place of Adam Milne. Live Scorecard: New Zealand vs South Africa
The Black Caps are a team on a roll, having beaten every side they have come up against en route to the semi-final, while South Africa have been largely dominant barring a couple of losses. Conditions are ripe for swing bowling with moisture in the atmosphere following overnight rain and with showers forecast for later in the day, reports AFP. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
