New Zealand National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: An inspired effort from South African bowlers has powered them to a 19-run win over New Zealand. Gerald Coetzee remained the pick among bowlers with three wickets in his spell.
New Zealand once again put up a dominating bowling performance in the 4th T20I to restrict South Africa to a score of 164 runs. In spite of missing out on their regular skipper and leader of the bowling attack, Mitchell Santner, the hosts managed to keep the Proteas at bay. Connor Esterhuizen top-scored for the visitors with a maiden international half-century. Meanwhile, Ben Sears and Cole McConchie were the star performers with the ball in hand in the first innings. Sears gave away only 22 runs in his four overs, while McConchie conceded 26. They both picked up a wicket in the innings.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand. For South Africa, Prenelan Subrayen is making his debut with Ottneil Baartman resting in this match.
New Zealand’s Tom Latham has picked up an injury. Neesham will lead the side as stand-in skipper. Katene D Clarke will debut for the hosts.
South Africa head into the 4th T20I at the Sky Stadium in Wellington for a do-or-die clash against New Zealand. After a dominant start to the series, the Proteas have lost their clinical edge, allowing New Zealand to surge ahead with back-to-back victories.
For Keshav Maharaj, the challenge today isn’t just about tactical execution; it’s about a mental reset for a batting unit that has struggled to post competitive totals against the disciplined Kiwi attack.
On the other hand, the hosts are just one win away from clinching the series.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Robinson, Katene D Clarke, Dane Cleaver(w), Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, James Neesham(c), Josh Clarkson, Cole McConchie, Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears
South Africa (Playing XI): Wiaan Mulder, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen(w), Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj(c), Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman
Check out the live score and updates here:
Gerald Coetzee gets the final wicket. Kyle Jamieson falls as South Africa win the match by 19 runs. What a humdinger of a contest! South Africa have enforced a decider as the series stands at 2-2.
Ottneil Baartman is here to clean up the tail. New Zealand lose Zakary Foulkes as the eighth wicket. Kyle Jamieson is the new batter in.
Keshav Maharaj gets the big wicket of Cole McConchie. Is it game over for Blackcaps? He was also the last recognised batter in the lineup. Blackcaps are 7 down in the chase. NZ 113/7 (16)
Despite losing both openers, New Zealand have a strong hold on the chase with the required run-rate in check. Dane Cleaver is continuing to play his shots and his getting the dividends for it.
Despite losing their first wicket, New Zealand are showing no signs of slowing down in this chase. Tim Robinson has continued his onslaught on the South African pacers. He welcomed Ottneil Baartman, bowling his first over with a four.
Finally, something goes right for Wiaan Mulder and South Africa. After being dismissed for his second duck in a row, the all-rounder broke the opening stand with only his third ball of the match. Debutant Katene Clarke was dismissed after scoring only nine runs in five balls.
The two opening batters for the Blackcaps seem to be in a hurry. After a flurry of boundaries in the first over, Tim Robinson welcomed Gerald Coetzee with a huge six over the deep backward square-leg boundary. He struck another boundary on the third ball of the over.
New Zealand are off to a flier as debutant Katene Clarke, after impressing with his stunning catch in the first innings, struck a boundary on his first ball. Tim Robinson struck a four as well, as George Linde’s first over went for 15 runs.
It was a new opening pair for New Zealand in the second innings, with Devon Conway and Tom Latham missing out on the clash. Tim Robinson and debutant Katene Clarke walked in to open the innings.
Ben Sears bowled an incredible final over for his team. The pacer gave away only two runs in the over. He used his slower balls to perfection and mixed them up quite nicely. George Linde had trouble picking up his deliveries and could only manage a single off leg-byes on the penultimate ball after playing a couple of dots. New Zealand need 165 runs to win the series.
Zakary Foulkes gave away the momentum gained by Kyle Jamieson in the previous thanks to an expensive 19th over. The medium-pacer was struck for a couple of boundaries by George Linde in the 16-run over.
Kyle Jamieson picked up his second wicket with his final ball of the fourth over. The pacer dismissed Jason Smith in the 18th over preventing South Africa to finish big in the last two overs.
After a quiet 16th over, Jason Smith has taken the attacking route against James Neesham. He struck a four and a six off consecutive deliveries as South Africa look to finish their innings on a positive note.
The untimely wicket of Dian Forrester has certainly had its effect on South Africa’s batting innings. The run-rate has dipped since his dismissal. Ben Sears gave away only two runs in the very next over, bringing the run rate below eight runs per over.
Dian Forrester was outdone by a disguised, slower delivery from Zakary Foulkes, trapping the right-handed batter in front of the stumps. The batter challenged the decision and ended up losing a review for South Africa.
Dian Forrester seems to have taken on the mantle of playing the attacking role in this partnership with Rubin Hermann. The left-handed batter struck his second six of the match in the 15th over to welcome Zakary Foulkes in his new spell.
Both Rubin Hermann and Dian Forrester have decided to take on the attacking route against the Kiwis. Both batters have struck a six each in the previous overs as they keep the run-rate for South Africa above eight runs per over.
New Zealand have pulled things back immensely and are now seizing control of this match. After getting rid of Esterhuizen, the hosts have now sent Tony de Zorzi back to the pavilion as well. Cole McConchie, after keeping things tight in his first two overs, got his reward with his first wicket of the clash.
Soon after hitting his first international half-century, Esterhuizen was sent back to the pavilion thanks to a stunning catch by debutant Katene D Clarke. He came in running from the square leg boundary and put in a forward dive to complete the catch. The third umpire checked the catch before deeming it in the favour of the fielder.
Connor Esterhuizen brought up his maiden half-century in international cricket. The wicketkeeper batter flicked the first delivery of the 10th over off his pads to bring up the milestone. He brought up the fifty in only 33 balls before hitting another four against Ben Sears in the over.
Tony de Zorzi, having settled into his innings, is now taking charge against the hosts. The left-handed batter, after hitting Neesham for a six, struck a four in the ninth over off Cole McConchie’s bowling. Strike rotation has been an issue for the two batters with five of the last 10 balls being dots.
Jimmy Neeshan, leading the side as the stand-in skipper, returned to bowl his second over. He was welcomed with a six by Tony de Zorzi on the first ball of the eighth over. The all-rounder recovered well in the rest of the over giving away only two runs in the next five balls.
Connor Esterhuizen has finally found his groove after a disappointing performance in the last two games. The wicketkeeper batter is racing towards a maiden fifty in international cricket. He has scored 46 runs in his 26-ball stay so far in a knock with five fours and three sixes.
Tony de Zorzi and Connor Esterhuizen have done well to keep the New Zealand bowlers at bay at the moment. Connor Esterhuizen is being the aggressor in the powerplay with Zorzi playing the anchor.
Kyle Jamieson bowls a spectacular maiden over to get rid of Wiaan Mulder. Excellent start for New Zealand as South Africa’s move to send Mulder up the order doesn’t work. SA 0/1 (1)
Wiaan Mulder, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen(w), Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj(c), Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman
Tim Robinson, Katene D Clarke, Dane Cleaver(w), Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, James Neesham(c), Josh Clarkson, Cole McConchie, Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears
South Africa have won an important toss as they have elected to bat first against New Zealand. Tom Latham has picked up an injury, and he has been replaced by Katene Clarke in the XI. James Neesham to lead the side.
We are just moments away from the toss between the two sides. Expect the team winning the toss to bowl first to get the advantage of dew in the outfield.
Hello and welcome to the live cricket coverage of match number four of the T20I series between New Zealand and South Africa here at the Sky Stadium in Wellington.
