A clinical 33-run win in the final T20I against New Zealand saw the Proteas claim a 3-2 series win in Christchurch.
Connor Esterhuizen fired South Africa to a competitive 187-4 after a blistering 75 off 33 balls in the fifth T20I against New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Wednesday. Esterhuizen’s innings, featuring six sixes and five fours, rescued a side struggling for timing on a tricky pitch. This was the highest score in a T20I against the Black Caps.
Openers Tony de Zorzi (12) and Wiaan Mulder (31) found scoring difficult, though Mulder hit successive sixes off Cole McConchie. Rubin Hermann added 39 before falling to a spectacular one-handed catch by Nick Kelly.
Esterhuizen’s late onslaught, including back-to-back sixes off McConchie and a stunning extra-cover six off Ben Sears in the final over, lifted South Africa from around 150 to a challenging total. He was eventually dismissed off the last ball of the innings, leaving the Proteas well-placed to take the series.
The South African bowlers once again impressed.
They struck at regular intervals to prevent New Zealand from running away with the chase. South Africa had New Zealand restricted to 69-4 after 8.5 overs with Mulder, Ottneil Baartman, Keshav Maharaj and a run out setting the hosts back.
There was a moment in the match where Jimmy Neesham and Bevon Jacobs (39 off 19) strung together a 52-run partnership, which gave New Zealand hope, but Baartman (2-33) dismissed Jacobs, which sparked a flurry of wickets. New Zealand were restricted to 121-5 after 10.2 overs at that stage and found themselves on 154-8 by the end of the match.
Mulder (2-28) and Gerald Coetzee (2-21) were the wicket takers in that period.
South Africa ended up winning the match by 33 runs and the series 3-2.
This was the Proteas’ first away bilateral series victory since August 2022.