Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

C Esterhuizen
57(36) 7x4 - 3x6
Control %80%
  • Productive Shot
  • flick
  • 16 runs
  • 1x4 - 1x6
0 0 15 2 6 15 0 19
TB Robinson
32(22) 4x4 - 1x6
Control %72%
  • Productive Shot
  • pull
  • 8 runs
  • 0x4 - 1x6
0 4 7 4 10 1 0 6

Best performances - Bowlers

G Coetzee
G Coetzee
O3.5
M0
R31
W3
Eco8.08
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
2W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
P Subrayen
O3
M0
R13
W2
Eco4.33
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF

Match Details

Toss

South Africa , elected to bat first

Player Of The Match

Series result

5-match series level 2-2

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

19.15 start, First Session 19.15-20.45, Interval 20.45-21.05, Second Session 21.05-21.35

Match days

22 March 2026 - night match (20-over match)

TV Umpires

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Scorer: M Venkat Raghav | Commentator: Fidel Fernando

That's it from our coverage of this one, folks. Join us for more on Wednesday, when this series will now be decided.

Keshav Maharaj, SA captain: There was a lot of good energy and a little bit of hunger within the group, and we showed that. It is a young team that is finding its way in international cricket, but to see the response after three games is superb. I think the way the debutant (Subrayen) took two wickets was fantastic. There were dropped catches but there was no panic. There were no pre-planned ideas coming in and the guys just adapted.

James Neesham stand-in captain: "165 was about par or maybe slightly below par. It was a good deck without being too good for batting. We took some average options with the bat and now need to have some honest conversations about where things went wrong today."

Connor Esterhuizen is player of the match: I just kept it simple, and did by basics well behind the stumps. Enjoying keeping in New Zealand.

That's outstanding work from South Africa's spinners in particular. Debutant Subrayen was a revelation with his arm balls, and Maharaj leant on his experience to deliver a truly outstanding 14th over, which is when the match swung decisively in South Africa's favour. Between the pair of them they took four wickets for 35 runs off seven overs.

It wasn't just about spin, though. Coetzee's pace also troubled NZ on a fast pitch. He took 3 for 31 for those efforts, and could have had more had South Africa held their chances. But it didn't matter. SA just prevented NZ from every putting any partnerships together.

Earlier it had been Connor Esterhuizen's 57 off 36 that drove SA forward with the bat.

For NZ, Neesham had a forgettable day with both bat and ball in his first outing as captain (Latham is injured). And they must now lock up the final match on Wednesday, in Christchurch.

18.5
W
Coetzee to Jamieson, OUT, a diving Baartman gets under yet another top-edged shot from NZ, and South Africa level the series 2-2. This has been an excellent bowling effort defending what was a below-par score on a flat cake tin track. Coetzee digs this one in and Sears tries to bash it to leg. It lobs up towards short fine where Baartman has to make some ground running to his left along the edge of the circle, but he manages in the end.

KA Jamieson c Baartman b Coetzee 13 (18m 9b 0x4 0x6) SR: 144.44

18.4
1
Coetzee to Sears, 1 run, short one just outside off stump, Sears drags it to deep midwicket without much timing
18.3
0
Coetzee to Sears, no run, full, wide of off, Sears attempts a very ambitious over the shoulder scoop, and doesn't really get close to it
18.2
3
Coetzee to Jamieson, 3 runs, tries to club a back of a length ball down the ground, just about clears mid off and sets Maharaj off on a chase down the ground. Despite sliding on account of the dew, Maharaj just about manages to reel it in. NZ take three.
18.1
2
Coetzee to Jamieson, 2 runs, length ball outside off which Jamieson chips over cover and gets two for.

NZ need some big hits in this over to stay in it, you suspect. SA on the cusp of locking this down and making it 2-2.

END OF OVER:
18 | 5 Runs | NZ: 139/9 (26 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 7.72, RRR: 13.00)

  • Kyle Jamieson8 (6b)
  • Ben Sears1 (6b)
  • Ottneil Baartman4-0-30-2
  • Gerald Coetzee3-0-25-2
17.6
1
Baartman to Jamieson, 1 run, shortish ball dragged tow midwicket for just a single this time.

New Zealand 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st28KD ClarkeTB Robinson
2nd24D CleaverTB Robinson
3rd24D CleaverNF Kelly
4th12NF KellyBJ Jacobs
5th7JDS NeeshamNF Kelly
6th16CE McConchieNF Kelly
7th1CE McConchieJA Clarkson
8th8JA ClarksonZG Foulkes
9th14KA JamiesonJA Clarkson
10th11KA JamiesonBV Sears