South Africa, with four international debutants, bowled out New Zealand for 91 in 14.3 overs to win by seven wickets in the first T20 international at the Bay Oval on Sunday.
NZ vs SA, 1st T20I: Highlights | Scorecard
New Zealand lost five wickets in the over and never recovered, stumbling to their 10th-lowest score in T20 internationals and their second-lowest against South Africa. The Proteas completed the chase with 20 balls to spare.
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It was a commanding performance from a young South African side against a New Zealand side missing eight players from the squad that reached the World Cup finals, including their entire first six batting line-up.
The debutants dissect the New Zealand innings
Gerald Coetzee set the tone early, removing openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham in the first three overs to finish with 2-14. Ottneil Baartman followed with 2-22, dismissing Tim Robinson and debutant Nick Kelly in quick succession before New Zealand reeled at 36-5.
Nineteen-year-old Nqobani Mokoena then went through the lower order on debut, taking 3-26 and snuffing out any hope of a late revival. A partnership between Jimmy Neesham and captain Mitchell Santner was the best New Zealand could muster before Mokoena removed Neesham and Maharaj dismissed Santner for the 15th over.
Mokoena was named player of the match. “The first two overs didn’t really go my way and I thought I wasn’t going to get any wickets,” he said. “But I just stuck to my plans and thank God it paid off.
Esterhuizen anchors a straight chase
Opener Connor Esterhuizen anchored the reply with an unbeaten 45 off 48 balls, supported by fellow debutant Dian Forrester, who was 16 not out at the end. Esterhuizen completed the match with a six off Kyle Jamieson in the 17th over.
The New Zealand spinners struggled for it briefly on the spin and Santner finished with 1-8 from four overs. But South Africa rarely struggled. “It was a bit nervy towards the end but it showed that Connor and Dian were mature in the way they played to get it over the line,” Proteas captain Keshav Maharaj said.
Santner acknowledged that his side had misjudged the conditions. “I think there was a bit more on the pitch than we thought, especially up front,” he said. “South Africa played well and put us under pressure from the start. Power-play goals, it’s always difficult from there.”
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
15 March 2026 16:12 IST
