South Africa defeated New Zealand by 33 runs in the last T20I to win the series 3-2 thanks to the brilliant innings of Connor Osterhuizen. Chasing 188, New Zealand struggled throughout and ended up on 154-8, unable to maintain the required run-rate as it rose.Having won the toss and elected to bowl first, South Africa had a slow start but things turned around in the second half of their innings.
Esterhuizen led the charge with a brilliant 75 off 33 balls, hitting boundaries with ease and pacing the scoring. He formed a quick partnership with Dian Forster as the team piled on the runs in the last 10 overs.“I think the good thing was that I got to come in and play with some freedom because the wickets were in hand because of the great platform from the players,” Esterhuizen said. Initially the openers estimated it and said 160 is competitive. The longer me and (Forster) were out we said 170 was a good score and we got 187.
New Zealand failed to chase down the target.
In response, New Zealand never really got going. Regular wickets and tight bowling kept them under pressure, and the required run-rate kept climbing. Despite some late hits, they needed a lot of runs in the final overs.South African bowlers, incl Gerald Coetzee And Othniel Baartman kept things under control while disciplined fielding added to New Zealand’s woes. Poor shot selection and missed opportunities meant the hosts could not recover, giving South Africa a comfortable win and a place in the series.
