Ahmedabad, February 14 South Africa captain Aiden Markram praised his bowlers for their "massive effort", saying restricting a dangerous batting unit like New Zealand to a gettable total was the key to their comfortable win, which virtually secured their place in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup here on Saturday.
South Africa rode on Markram and Marco Jansen's batting and bowling exploits to beat New Zealand by seven wickets in a crucial Group D match.
Jansen recorded career-best figures of 4/40 as South Africa restricted New Zealand to 175 for 7 after opting to bowl in the crucial match.
Chasing, Markram made an unbeaten 86 off 44 balls and Quinton de Kock scored 20 off 14 as the duo shared 62 runs off 28 balls for the opening stand, while Ryan Rickelton made 21 off 11 balls as South Africa chased down the target in 17.1 overs.
"I think it's obviously important to acknowledge the fact that we got the right toss. The ball came on quite nicely in the second innings. But having said that, the boys still had to put in a massive effort, especially with the ball, to restrict it to what they did. I thought it was a really good effort. I think that's the key," Markram said, acknowledging the contribution of his bowlers.
"The boys put up a strong effort (to restrict them to that score). You have to try and back the skills you are good at."
Markram said his bowling unit was on point to restrict the dangerous Kiwi opening pair of Tim Seifert and Finn Allen.
"Very dangerous and intimidating, but the boys were solid with their plans tonight."
He had special praise for Jansen for his exploits.
"Very different left-arm (bowler), bowls different types of deliveries. He has been bowling well, but did not have the numbers to show for it."
Markram was also happy with his batting effort.
"It's nice. Ultimately, it's about getting the team off to a good start. We have a strong and experienced batting order. Up front, you have seen how teams are taking off in the powerplay. It might not always work, but when it does, you can get ahead of the game."
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said performance in the powerplay cost them dearly.
"Wickets in the powerplay are always key. It was probably a bit below par, but it was also a little tricky. Different grounds, so you need to adapt. We pride ourselves on that. Communication between batters and bowlers is key. We were put under pressure in the powerplay, so finding ways to get out of overs, while still staying aggressive and taking wickets," he said.
Santner said they were outplayed by a good team in South Africa on Saturday.
"We had a good series against India. Any time you can play India in these conditions (leading up to a World Cup), it's good preparation. We came up against a good team tonight.
"We have played with and against them (South Africa) a lot. We will do a lot of video scouting on Canada. There are no easy games in the tournament, and we know that will be the case in a couple of days' time," he said.
Jansen, who was adjudged player-of-the-match for his career-best figures of 4 for 40, said having played in the IPL, they had a good idea about how the wicket would behave, and he was delighted that they executed their plans to perfection.
"We know it's a good wicket. (Their) Opening batters showed great intent, so we knew we had to pick wickets up front. Slower balls into the wicket worked well, and obviously the yorkers. Bowling in the powerplay and at the death is not easy. You have to take it as it comes. You try and adapt and make the most of it," he said.
"The bowlers did well - Kesh (Keshav Maharaj) through the middle. Our seamers complement each other well. With the plans we had, it was very good, and we executed well. A lot of guys play in the IPL, so we have a lot of knowledge. Treating every game as it comes, seeing who we are playing against, and taking it from there."
