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CAPE TOWN, Oct 28 (Cricinfo): South Africa's top order problems continued at Cape Town as New Zealand took control of the second one-day international. Graeme Smith and Hershelle Gibbs lifted the run rate towards five an over, but three quick wickets brought their progress to a shuddering halt as they threatened to squander the advantage of batting first in the day/night encounter.
New Zealand made the perfect start as they attempt to level the series after their narrow two-wicket defeat at Bloemfontein. Shane Bond bowled Andrew Puttick, making his international debut, for a fifth ball duck, Puttick playing all around a delievery that shaped into the left-hander (3 for 1).
However, it was asking a lot of Puttick to be at the top of his game - a couple of hours earlier he was preparing for the second day of Western Province-Boland's Supersport series game at Paarl. But he was issued with an eleventh-hour call by the South African selectors after Boeta Dippenaar was ruled out with a wrist injury that will require surgery. His shirt did not even have show name on the back and he didn't hang around long enough for the Kiwis to become too acquainted with him.
Despite this early setback South Africa made steady progress through Smith and Gibbs although New Zealand's fielding, which had let them down in Bloemfontein, gave Gibbs a life when Jacob Oram spilled a chance at point before he had scored. It was a decent effort, though, for Gibbs to even be in the middle - an hour before play he had been on a drip in the dressing room after suffering from severe vomiting.
25 overs South Africa 88 for 4 (Kallis 12*, Prince 2*) v New Zealand
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