Proteas hold their nerve

Despite posting just 128 for seven in the Group D dead rubber, the Proteas attack kept their discipline on a sluggish surface to negate the effect of Brendon McCullum's half-century.

The worn pitch restricted the boundary count, particularly once the new ball lost its original hardness, and although the Black Caps only lost five wickets, they were stifled by spin in mid-innings.

Injury-hit New Zealand somehow allowed the equation to slip to 36 runs required from the final three overs and although that was reduced to four off the last ball, Jacob Oram drove to long-on and was run out coming back for an ambitious third.

The final few balls arguably produced more excitement than any other part of a low-scoring contest and the decibel levels were raised when Oram inside-edged the penultimate delivery from teenage fast bowler Wayne Parnell for four.

Left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe played the crucial hand in the contest, conceding just 14 runs in his four overs and snaring Ross Taylor and McCullum, who struck his fifth Twenty20 international 50 in six innings in vain.

Still without captain Daniel Vettori due to a shoulder injury and now missing Jesse Ryder with groin trouble and James Franklin because of a knee complaint, the Black Caps were given another scare when Taylor pulled up with a hamstring problem during a 57-run stand with McCullum.

It is a worrying development ahead of the Super Eights stage of the competition, which they begin on Thursday against Ireland at Trent Bridge.

On the positive side, their patched-up side produced two stunning run-outs to account for dangerous duo Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers.

Their dynamic fielding was allied to great discipline with the ball in hand as they hustled the Proteas.