New Zealand continued their flawless run in the Zimbabwe T20I tri-series by defeating South Africa by seven wickets in the fifth match at Harare on 22 July 2025.
This victory marked New Zealand’s third consecutive win in the tournament, ensuring a place in the final against South Africa on 26 July.
Electing to field after losing the toss, New Zealand restricted South Africa to a modest total of 134 for eight in their 20 overs. The Proteas suffered early setbacks as captain Rassie van der Dussen was bowled by Adam Milne for 14 runs off 13 balls. Rubin Hermann was run out for 10, while Dewald Brevis and Luhan de Pretorius also fell cheaply. South Africa found themselves struggling at 57 for four.
Reeza Hendricks offered some resistance, scoring 41 off 37 balls with four boundaries and a six, while Andile Simelane and George Linde contributed valuable partnerships of 22 and 30 runs respectively. Linde remained unbeaten on 23 off 15 deliveries, but the Proteas could not build enough momentum to post a challenging total.
For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, and captain Mitchell Santner shared the wickets, each claiming two dismissals. Milne was the most economical, finishing with an economy rate of 5.20. Santner’s tally now stands at 124 wickets from 112 T20 internationals, averaging 22.09.
Chasing 135, New Zealand got off to a strong start with openers Tim Seifert and Devon Conway putting on 51 runs from 32 balls during the powerplay. Conway was dismissed for 19 off 18 balls, breaking the partnership. New Zealand briefly lost Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman in quick succession but Seifert held firm.
Seifert played a match-winning innings of 66 not out off 48 balls, striking six fours and two sixes, while Daryl Mitchell added a quickfire 20 from 15 deliveries. Together, they guided New Zealand to victory with 25 balls remaining.
With both teams now qualified for the final, the tri-series concludes with a highly anticipated rematch between New Zealand and South Africa later this month. Zimbabwe, the hosts, were eliminated after three successive defeats.