New Delhi: New Zealand comfortably defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the third T20I thanks to a calm and steady chase led by Tom Latham and Dion Conway. Chasing 137 runs on a difficult pitch, the pair made a strong opening stand, ensuring they did not lose early wickets. Latham remained unbeaten on 63, guiding his team home with plenty of balls to spare.
Batting on the Eden Park pitch was not easy but New Zealand handled it smartly. Their bowlers did the early damage, reducing South Africa to 41-3 in the powerplay and 61-5 in the middle.Every bowler took wickets, while Lockie Ferguson kept things tight. Mitchell Santner also made an impact with the ball, helping to break key partnerships.“It was a simple outline tonight. The pitch looked like it was rushing a little bit. It looked tough and it was good the way two guys (Conway and Latham) could get it done. You go through a lot and you lose two wickets, which makes it a little bit harder to chase,” Santner explained.South Africa were able to bat their entire 20 overs for the first time in the series, but never really took control. Some late hits from Nkobani Mokoena helped them reach 136, but it wasn’t enough. New Zealand comfortably chased it down to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, with the next match to be played in Wellington.
