Hashim Amla yesterday ended a seven-match drought in the only way he a knows how - by flooding the wicket with runs. The batting wizard scored 124 from 126 balls as the Proteas beat New Zealand by 20 runs in the first ODI in Centurion yesterday.In a 185-run partnership with Rilee Rossouw, Amla helped South Africa post 304/7.The Proteas were put in by Black Caps' stand-in captain Kane Williamson, a decision that looked ill-judged with South Africa at 219/1 after 40 overs.Rilee Rossouw played a Faf du Plessis innings and went about his batting in a measured way.But getting dropped by Adam Milne in the deep from Grant Elliot's bowling on 32 was the cue for him to up the ante.Not long after, the visitors gave the same cue to Amla, when he was put down by Tom Latham on 74. Those two missed chances cost 57 and 50 runs, until McClenaghan bowled Rossouw with a yorker.Amla followed after AB de Villiers was dismissed cheaply.David Miller, Farhaan Behardien and David Wiese hit a few sixes but made a mess of finishing things. Wiese hit two sixes in the final over before running Behardien and himself out.Madness heralded the New Zealand chase. Two dropped catches in the opening Dale Steyn over - Latham dropped first ball by Behardien at midwicket and Luke Ronchi by Wiese at second slip - caused gasps in the crowd.Then Amla caught a Luke Ronchi edge but replays showed the ball might have touched the ground. The decision stood and Ronchi walked.From there the New Zealand chase mirrored the Proteas' innings, with a 104-run second wicket partnership between Latham and Williamson.In any case, Williamson fell to Imran Tahir for 47. The Black Caps' chase hit the skids after halfway. First Martin Guptill tried to go after Wiese but found Miller at mid-on instead. Then Vernon Philander accounted for Grant Elliot, and Jimmy Neesham.Steyn broke McClenaghan's off stump before Philander ran out Ish Sohdi to leave them all out for 284. It wasn't full retribution for the World Cup defeat but that ghost can be put to bed...