New Zealand picked up right from where they left off against South Africa in the second T20I. The Kiwis once again put up a dominating performance with the ball in hand as they restricted South Africa to a score of only 136 runs. Tom Latham scored his fourth half-century in T20Is as the hosts went on to win the clash by eight wickets. The wicketkeeper batter remained unbeaten, scoring 63 runs in only 55 balls. He smashed seven fours and a couple of sixes in his innings.
South Africa, once again, failed to show up with the bat as none of the batters, barring Nqobani Mokoena, scored more than 25 runs. The fact that Mokoena, batting at number 10 top-scored for the Proteas painted a sad story of their batting performance.
Bowlers put New Zealand in a commanding position
The bowlers for the Blackcaps were right on the money as they restricted South Africa to only 136 runs at Eden Park. Given the short boundary dimensions, it was a sensational effort from the bowling attack to restrict the opposition to a below-par total.
Lockie Ferguson broke the opening stand, dismissing Wiaan Mulder in the second over. The right-arm pacer dismissed Mulder for a four-ball duck. The first wicket opened the floodgates as the pacers from Blackcaps did not take off their foot off the pedal from that point onwards.
Ferguson gave away only nine runs in his four overs and was named the player of the match for his disciplined bowling effort.
Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Santner, and Ben Sears picked up a couple of wickets each. George Linde and Gerald Coetzee shared the highest stand in the clash. The two batters scored 34 runs for the seventh wicket in only 19 balls. Both Linde and Coetzee were looking to take charge against the Blackcaps. Jamieson broke the stand in the 15th over and dismissed both the batters in the same over. James Neesham and Cole McConchie were also among the wickets.
Nqobani Mokoena top-scored for South Africa with 26 runs. The bowler remained unbeaten after coming in to bat at number 10. In his 20-ball knock, Mokoena smashed three sixes and a four, but the knock went in vain.
Tom Latham guides New Zealand to a win
Tom Latham scored his fourth half-century of the format as he guided New Zealand to a crucial win. The wicketkeeper batter scored 63 runs in 55 balls in a knock laden with seven fours and a couple of sixes. He was ably supported by Devon Conway, who scored 39 runs in 26 balls. The two openers shared a 96-run stand, which sealed an 8-wicket win for the Kiwis.
