Christchurch, March 25: South Africa triumphed over New Zealand by 33 runs in the fifth T20 match held at Hagley Oval, securing the series 3-2.
New Zealand was set a challenging target of 188 runs. Under the pressure of this high score and South Africa’s tight bowling, New Zealand’s top order failed to perform as expected. They never seemed to be in contention for victory, finishing their innings at 154 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.
Bevan Jacobs was the standout performer for New Zealand, scoring 36 runs off 19 balls, including 3 sixes and 2 fours. Tom Robinson contributed 25 runs, while Dean Cleaver added 22. Captain Jimmy Neesham chipped in with 24 runs.
For South Africa, Gerald Coetzee, Ottniel Bartman, and Vian Mulder each took 2 wickets, while captain Keshav Maharaj claimed 1 wicket.
Batting first after losing the toss, South Africa had a rocky start. Tony de Zorzi was dismissed for 12 runs, leaving the team at 21. However, Vian Mulder and Rubin Hermann formed a solid partnership, adding 55 runs for the second wicket. Mulder scored 31 runs off 29 balls, hitting 2 fours and 2 sixes.
Wicketkeeper batter Connor Esterhuizen then partnered with Hermann for 49 runs, and when the score reached 125, Hermann was out for 39 runs off 31 balls.
Esterhuizen and Dianne Forester then launched a rapid partnership, scoring 61 runs off just 27 balls for the fourth wicket. Esterhuizen finished with an impressive 75 runs from 33 balls, featuring 6 sixes and 5 fours, while Forester remained unbeaten on 21 runs from 13 balls. South Africa posted a total of 187 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
This victory marks South Africa’s first T20 series win on New Zealand soil.
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