Mlaba's Four-for Keeps New Zealand to 231 After Devine 85

Mlaba ended New Zealand's aspirations of surpassing 250 by taking crucial wickets.

On a slow-paced Indore surface on Monday, Sophie Devine threatened to pull away with yet another classic. Still, Nonkululeko Mlaba single-handedly turned the momentum and the atmosphere in South Africa's favour.

Including the huge blows of Devine and Brooke Halliday, who risked a jailbreak with a fourth-wicket partnership of 86 to give New Zealand a chance to surge past 250, Mlaba concluded with 4 for 40.

However, New Zealand shockingly fell to 231 all out in 47.5 overs after being 187 for 3, leaving South Africa raucous at the halfway point.

Devine scored 85 in her 300th international, following a heroic 112 that wasn't quite enough to bring New Zealand over the finish line in a lofty chase against Australia in their opening match. She was then dismissed by Mlaba for trying to hit a full delivery to the leg side. Devine was dismissed in the midst of a collapse, as the final five batsmen for New Zealand only added just 22 runs.

Up until the 39th over began, South Africa was struggling. Devine and Halliday changed pace effortlessly in the middle overs after they dominated early play and put pressure on South Africa’s top order.

Halliday swept and reverse-sweeped her way to five boundaries off her first 15 deliveries during South Africa's innings after Plimmer got out for an unimpressive 31 off 68.

Halliday presented a serious threat to South Africa in the T20 World Cup final the previous year on a slow Dubai field. On Monday, she proved her threat once more.

Her late fireworks that October night proved to be pivotal for New Zealand. She and Devine reached a half-century partnership off of just 41 balls, with Halliday adding 33.

Devine quickly changed gears by smashing Sune Luus for consecutive fours in the 37th over after reaching her 17th ODI fifty from 66 deliveries. A last opportunity then presented itself, one that may have been expensive for South Africa. Halliday was given a break when Anneke Bosch misfielded, leaving both hitters stranded mid-pitch.

There were warning flags for South Africa at 178 for 3 in the 37th over. However, New Zealand managed to make a mistake, and things became rather dramatic after that. Devine was bowled while trying to hit a full delivery to the leg side. Halliday mishandled a slog-sweep off Mlaba, and Maddy Green swept straight to Bosch at point. South Africa had regained the upper hand.

Their grip resembled that at the beginning, when Marizanne Kapp hit the opening ball to dismiss Suzie Bates for a second consecutive duck when she was playing around her front pad.  

Plimmer struggled to get momentum as the lack of bounce and pace made it more difficult for the batters to push strokes square of the wicket. However, Amelia Kerr attempted to counteract the early setback by playing aggressively.

On 21, Nadine de Klerk dismissed Kerr. With a powerful shot to the deep midwicket boundary, Devine ended a 47-ball spell without a boundary and took control of the innings.  

Although New Zealand scored up to 72 runs in the first 15 overs, Devine's performance helped offset the slow start. But with a dreadful back 10, New Zealand undid all of her hard work in the middle overs, trying to put up a score to defend.