Tim Robinson, Bevon Jacobs set up New Zealand T20I win over South Africa
Robinson hit a career-best 75 not out and Jacobs was unbeaten on 44 as they took the Black Caps from a precarious 70-5 to 173-5 after they were sent in to bat.
South Africa, who won the tournament opener against Zimbabwe on Monday, were bowled out for 152.
New Zealand fast bowlers Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy took three wickets each on a pitch on which the pacemen of both teams induced false shots with short-pitched deliveries.
"The Proteas put us under pressure in the power play," said New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner.
But he hailed an "outstanding" partnership between Robinson and Jacobs, who came together midway through the 10th over.
Robinson hit six fours and three sixes in a 57-ball innings, while the strongly-built Jacobs showed why he was signed by Indian Premier League team Mumbai Indians before making his international debut. He hit a four and three sixes off 30 balls.
Santner said Robinson and Jacobs had shown that it was a good pitch for batting. "We knew we had to bowl well," he said. His bowlers responded as South Africa also lost early wickets and slumped to 62-5.
Dewald Brevis slammed 35 off 18 balls, including two sixes off three balls against Henry. But Brevis holed out to a slower ball from Henry in the same over.
"It was a really good pitch," said South African captain Rassie van der Dussen. 'The bowlers did their part but it was not a good batting performance.'
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Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Who is New Zealand explosive hitter Tim Robinson with a javelin past?
It's barely been 15 months since his international debut for New Zealand, but Tim Robinson has put behind the first impression of Shaheen Shah Afridi bowling him for a two ball duck. Midweek, he took on South Africa pacers in the T20 triseries in Zimbabwe and helped deliver a win after resurrecting a crumbling innings with his 57 ball 75 as NZ scored 173/5 and shot out SA for 152. The right-handed 23-year-old who's turned out for Northamptonshire, Wellington Firebirds, Guyana Amazon Warriors, might have struggled against Pakistan but has slowly picked up his average to 29.77 in 11 innings, striking at 131. What makes Robinson, an all-rounder, unique is his past as a javelin thrower. According to Robinson in addition to cricket was a leading javelin thrower, winning the intermediate title at the Secondary Schools Championship in 2017. He finished fifth in senior grade behind his brother Cam, who proceeded to study business agriculture at Massey University. His bowling might have needed managing with age old back problems that torment throwers, but his batting found a career top score in Zimbabwe against the Proteas. Robinson had thrown a 700 gm javelin to 54.43 for Wellington Amateur athletic club at 15, and 45.82 in 2021 for a 800gm javelin, before shifting to cricket. He replaced Finn Allen in the domestic franchise of Smash, as a rookalike batter, but the turning point was touring Pakistan in a Kiwi squad without IPL players, after he came to attention because of 139 off 64 balls with 10 sixes against Otago Volts. According to cricinfo, Robinson alongside Dean Foxcroft and Mitch Hay spent two weeks at the Super Kings academy in Chennai with old friend and Wellington coach Sriram Krishnamurthy to get used to red and black soil pitches last July. Learning to pick right deliveries to sweep was high on their agenda as per cricinfo. As New Zealand rebuilding their T20 side, Robinson will be key to their fortunes in the upcoming World Cup. In 2017 in his erstwhile avatar, with a javelin, Tim and Cam won junior and senior titles at Secondary School Championships,after which Cam had famously quipped to collegesportmedia, that, 'We've always been good at throwing things except tantrums.' Composed under fire – Tim Robinson, take a bow 🫡 With wickets tumbling around him, Robinson stood tall for NZ, crafting a classy 75* off 57, and steered them to 173 in a high-stakes tri-series clash.#SAvNZ #T20ITriSeries — FanCode (@FanCode) July 16, 2025 Tim's best throw of 54.99 had been 4th out of 6, though their spearing journey hadn't started too long before 2017. Winning at McEvedy shield athletics meet, an inter school, had piqued their interest in javelin. 'I gave up cricket because I thought I was fast, when I was not,' Cam had told At Wellington, they had been trained by coach Debbie Strange, coach of Olympian Stuart Farquhar. They spent their holidays shearing sheep at the family farm at Hunterville. Against Proteas, Robinson had a partnership of 103 in 63 balls with SA-born Bevon Jacobs (44 off 30) after all of Devon Conway, Daryll Mitchell, Mitchell Hay and Jimmy Neesham went for single digits as Proteas' Kwena Maphaka and Lungi Ngidi and Gerald Coetzee struck blows. Robinson later told New Zealand Cricket & CSA, 'We were obviously struggling when we lost those early wickets and it's something we discussed me & Bevon…during the innings and that's obviously… But I think the way we sort of thought about it was that longer we spent at crease easier runs would come and we couldn't afford to lose more wickets so we tried to take it as deep as we could and we had to run hard on long side but obviously we got lucky along the way. That's cricket.' On Jacobs, who moved to NZ at 3, Robinson said, 'You look at him and he's quite the big guy and will hit the ball long and he sure did. It's fantastic batting with him. What struck me was when he came out and seemed to enjoy it and looked comfortable out there and played a good knock. I think he's going to play a lot of cricket so it's a good sign.' Maphaka claiming wickets signalled arrival of new express pacer, and Robinson said, 'I think the Proteas balling is exceptional and their use of long side was exceptional. They bowled well with the new ball. It was hard when we continued to lose wickets. As we went deep we kept more wickets in the bank so we could capitalise in the end. As a batter that's one thing you do… Know where your feet are and play the ball that comes to you. For me, it's not about milestones, they are not on my radar but contributing to a win for your country is a great feeling and one I hope to replicate. Obviously it's nice you got to a 50 or something but it's about contributing to the win is rewarding.' He typified the NZ approach to adaptability. 'T20 cricket – When you lose wickets it's hard to keep momentum and it's about small moments. While getting the win gives us confidence which we hope to carry on to Friday. We pride ourselves in adapting as quickly as we can. But different game, different wickets, different bowlers,' he said. Robinson was enjoying playing in Zimbabwe. 'Zimbabwe's a great country to play in. Weather is fantastic, people are nice and accommodating. And I love steaks. Steaks are my favourite. They make it a little different,' he said. SA batting coach Ashwell Prince ceded the Robinson -Jacobs partnership had been costly. 'The target was gettable. It was a good pitch. We lost a few wickets early on and were up against it. But we got to get something going but kept losing wickets all the way through and fell short. We bowled well. Used the bouncers that got us some wickets. But their partnership towards the end gave them a competitive score,' he said. On their own batting he added, 'It's nature of T20 cricket. This is how we can go. They have a good side. We have a fairly young side. But we didn't get any batting rhythm going early on. And that's the key when chasing a score to get some rhythm and a partnership early on. We know we have power to catch up, and balance between runs required and how many we need to get.' The two teams rebuilding after some high profile retirements in T20 are trying out new names. Lhuandre Pretorius who scored a century in Tests was stuttering a bit in T20s, but Prince laughed off suggestions he was struggling. 'Lhuandre? Struggling? I don't think so. You gotta bear in mind he's 19. Not everytime he's going to walk out and smash 50, 100s. Against Zimbabwe he played a pull shot. Today against New Zealand he was playing well. Maybe he got a little cute with his shot and lost his wicket. He's a talented player but he's 19. He'll make errors that young players do. Against New Zealand today's lineup was also a bit experimental in terms of left right combination that you try to maximise the short boundary. Next time you play what's in front of you. But we are also beatable. We take it one game at a time.' When told none of Saffers had got to 50, he explained, 'It's not about getting to a 50. If it was that then he would've taken 6 more. It's not about that. It's about going out there and playing on the front foot – that is sticking to your style. If you are aggressive that's how you play. And what we encourage. It's not about getting to a 50. Brevis has played around the world, exposed to different leagues, teams and pressures. But at end of the day they have come to international cricket and its biggest stage at 18, 19. But we trust their abilities .'
News18
12 hours ago
- News18
Brevis, Ngidi Help South Africa Beat Zimbabwe By 5 Wickets in T20 Tri-Series Opener
Last Updated: South Africa beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the T20 tri-series opener in Harare. Hermann and Brevis led the chase after Zimbabwe scored 141/6. South Africa continued their dominance over Zimbabwe by defeating their neighbours by five wickets in the opening match of a Twenty20 international tri-series at Harare Sports Club on Monday. New Zealand will play their first match of the tournament against South Africa at the same venue on Wednesday. Zimbabwe were limited to 141 for six after being sent in to bat, with captain Sikandar Raza top-scoring with 54 not out. Both teams made several changes following a two-match Test series in Bulawayo, which South Africa won comfortably. Opening bowler Lungi Ngidi took a wicket and conceded only seven runs in his three-over opening spell. Left-arm spinner George Linde took three for 10, including two wickets for four runs in the last over. South Africa lost three wickets in the six-over power play against aggressive left-arm fast bowler Richard Ngarava and seamer Trevor Gwandu. However, new cap Rubin Hermann (45) and hard-hitting player of the match Dewald Brevis, who smashed 41 off 17 balls, put on 72 for the fourth wicket to ensure a comfortable win. South African captain Rassie van der Dussen praised the two young batters. 'There was a little bit of pressure up front," he said. 'Losing three wickets in the power play was not ideal but their partnership was brilliant." Brevis hit five sixes and a four in his innings, including three successive sixes off leg-spinner Ryan Burl. Raza said Ngarava, who took three for 35, and Gwandu (two for 15) were outstanding. 'It was the first game of the winter (in Harare) and we weren't sure of the wicket," said Raza of his team's batting performance. 'At least we know these are going to be high-scoring games." (With AFP Inputs) view comments First Published: July 14, 2025, 20:56 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
12 hours ago
- News18
This Cricketer Was Touted As The 'Next Gavaskar'. But Dravid And Ganguly Changed All That
In the 1992 Harare Test, India were 101/5 when 'Mr Different' scored a gritty century off 422 balls, batting for 9 hours to take the total past 300. The match ended in a draw Sanjay Manjrekar, a prominent figure in cricket commentary, celebrated his 60th birthday recently. After retiring from cricket, Manjrekar transitioned into a successful career as a commentator, earning substantial fees for his work in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite his prowess in domestic cricket, he did not achieve the same level of success internationally. Manjrekar played a crucial role for the Indian team on several occasions. One notable instance was in a Test match in Harare, where he scored a century and helped draw the game after batting for nearly nine hours. This performance came at a time when legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin failed to deliver. 'Felt My Time Was Up': Manjrekar In his autobiography, ' Imperfect ', launched in 2018, Manjrekar detailed his cricket career and the reasons behind his early retirement. Sanjay Manjrekar, in his book, recalled that during Team India's 1996 tour of England, much was expected from Rahul Dravid. However, it was Sourav Ganguly who initially grabbed the spotlight on that tour. Praising Dravid, Manjrekar wrote that it felt as though he was tailor-made for the Indian team. 'When I saw him bat and the way he played, I felt my time was over," he admitted. Manjrekar announced his retirement at the age of 32. Manjrekar Once Hailed As Gavaskar's Heir Manjrekar's technical proficiency was admired by many, with Sachin Tendulkar referring to him as 'Mr. Different'. He was often compared to Sunil Gavaskar for his technique. Manjrekar played a total of 111 international matches, excelling in terms of technique. In the Harare Test in 1992, Zimbabwe posted 456 runs in their first innings. The Indian team, led by Azharuddin, struggled initially, losing key players like Ravi Shastri (11), Sachin Tendulkar (0), and Azharuddin (9) early. The Indian team was struggling at 101 for 5, but Manjrekar held firm, batting for nearly nine hours to take the total past 300. He faced 422 deliveries and scored a gritty century. The Test eventually ended in a draw. Sanjay Manjrekar's Cricket Journey Over his cricket career, Manjrekar played 37 Tests, scoring 2043 runs at an average of 37, including four centuries and seven half-centuries. His highest Test innings was 218 runs. In 74 ODIs, he amassed 1994 runs at an average of 33, with one century and 15 half-centuries. He also scored over 10,000 runs in first-class cricket, totalling 10,252 runs in 147 matches at an average of 55, including 31 centuries and 46 half-centuries. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
