Having made light work of the round-robin stages of their Twenty20 Tri-series, the Black Caps have held their nerve in a thriller to claim the trophy against South Africa.
Still unbeaten under new coach Rob Walter, the Black Caps held on to defeat the Proteas for the third time in succession, this time by three runs, as New Zealand completed the tournament with a perfect five-from-five record.
Having batted first and made 180/5 from their 20 overs, Matt Henry (2/19) defended seven runs in the final over of the Tri-series, as South Africa were held to 177/6.
As is unfairly synonymous with South Africa – admittedly on much bigger stages – the Proteas will rue losing from a position they should have won from, having been 116/1 in the 13th over.
South Africa’s chase was built on the back of 51 to teen sensation Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and a rapid 16-ball 31 to Dewald Brevis. Ultimately, though, it was the Black Caps who held their nerve, both with the ball and in the field.
The Black Caps will now begin their preparations for two tests against hosts Zimbabwe, as the teams relocate from Harare to Bulawayo for the series, beginning on July 30.
After losing the toss and being asked to bat, the Black Caps’ innings was built on a 75-run first-wicket partnership by Devon Conway (47) and Tim Seifert (30) – who couldn’t add to his run of consecutive half-centuries in the previous two matches.
On Tuesday last week, the pair needed just 30 balls to raise a 50-run stand against the Proteas. This time around it took 36, as Conway and Seifert reached the end of the power play at 52/0.
Having seen Seifert depart, caught well by a diving Rassie van der Dussen at cover, Conway upped his scoring rate before he too fell when he was caught attempting to pull Lungi Ngidi (2/24).
Undeterred by the loss of the openers, Rachin Ravindra (47) added the impetus to New Zealand’s innings. Even batting out of position at No 3, the left-hander hit four boundaries and two sixes – both off the spin of Senuran Muthusamy (1/27).
Like Conway, though, Ravindra also departed without being able to reach 50 when he could only find the hands of Brevis at deep midwicket off the bowling of Nandre Burger, despite shades of a back-foot no-ball.
Cameos from Daryl Mitchell (16 not out) and Michael Bracewell (15) lifted New Zealand’s score to 180, a total not helped by only scoring three boundaries in the death overs. However, South Africa ultimately did themselves little favours by conceding 19 runs in extras.
Chasing a target of more than nine runs per over, South Africa kept their wickets intact through the power play and laid a foundation of 48 runs for good measure.
A Pretorius slog-swept six over midwicket off Mitchell Santner raised South Africa’s 50, as New Zealand’s captain’s first over was hit for 16. That momentum played into Pretorius’ hands, as the 19-year-old raised his 50 with a slog-swept six over long-on off Bracewell.
Three balls later, though, Bracewell had the last laugh, as Pretorius ran past a wide delivery before Seifert whipped the bails off, as the Proteas reached 92/1 at the halfway point.
At the other end, Reeza Hendricks (37) had seen his opening partner depart and soon joined him in the pavilion when he hooked Zak Foulkes to Conway at deep backward square.
Needing a senior head to guide them home, South Africa lost captain van der Dussen (18) to the final ball of the 15th over, when he hit Adam Milne down the throat of Mitchell at long-on, to leave the Proteas 131/3, needing 50 from the final 30 balls.
Mitchell made it two catches in as many balls when Jacob Duffy returned to the attack to remove Rubin Hermann (11), as the Black Caps’ seam attack began to apply the squeeze on South Africa’s batters.
With the required run rate climbing to 12, Brevis sent Foulkes over cover for six, before George Linde joined him with a boundary through the same region.
Brevis continued his attack in the next over, when he crunched a one-handed swipe off Duffy for six more over long-on, before a low full toss was deposited over the rope and made the equation seven from the last six balls.
As Henry stepped up, Brevis couldn’t see South Africa home, as the second ball of the last over was expertly caught by Bracewell, who managed to juggle on the boundary rope and regather himself to complete the catch.
Bracewell couldn’t repeat the dose next ball and dropped Corbin Bosch to give away two runs, but Mitchell saved face with a spectacular diving catch to dismiss Linde, somehow hanging on as he hit the ground.
With four needed from the final ball, Muthusamy swung and missed at a slower delivery, as New Zealand snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
New Zealand 180/5 (Conway 47, Ravindra 47; Ngidi 2/24)
South Africa 177/6 (Pretorius 51; Henry 2/19)
New Zealand win by three runs