NZ vs SA Today's Match Expert Fantasy Tips & Player Stats, Zimbabwe T20I Tri Series 2025

Final • Harare Sports Club • Harare

New Zealand

180/5 (20)

South Africa

177/6 (20)

NZ won by 3 runs

Info

Live

Scorecard

Stats

Playing XI

Mini Games

Date & Time

26 Jul, 04:30 PM IST

Venue

Harare Sports Club

Match

Final,

Zimbabwe T20I Tri Series 2025

Points Table

Schedule

Stats

Umpires

Iknow Chabi (Zimbabwe), Langton Rusere (Zimbabwe), Forster Mutizwa (Zimbabwe, TV)

Referee

Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

Toss

South Africa elected to bowl

Pitch Report

It is a beautiful day to play cricket! And this is the middle pitch that we are playing on today, only one game played here. The cracks are evident, but that will be there in the winter. But there is some live grass in the good length area. However, it is a nice surface for a final!

1st Innings

154Avg Runs

6Avg Wkts

128.82Avg SR

2nd Innings

137Avg Runs

6Avg Wkts

123.78Avg SR

Weather Update

Playing XILineups Out

Head To Head (Last 10 Matches)

4- 6

Team Form (Recent 5 Matches, Latest First)

New Zealand

South Africa

Players to Watch

Top Batters

Tim Seifert

NZ . WK

166 Runs

4 Matches

Rubin Hermann

SA . WK

119 Runs

4 Matches

Dewald Brevis

SA . BAT

102 Runs

4 Matches

Top Bowlers

Matt Henry

NZ . BOWL

7 Wkts

3 Matches

Jacob Duffy

NZ . BOWL

5 Wkts

3 Matches

Mitchell Santner

NZ . ALL

4 Wkts

4 Matches

1 0 0 2 1 1

Over 17

Runs: 5

1 1wd 6 1 4 1 1

Over 18

Runs: 15

6 2 0 6 1 0

Over 19

Runs: 15

0 W 2 1 W 0

Over 20

Runs: 3

All Overs

Player of the Match Matt Henry

2/19

Commentary

And with that, we wrap up what has been an unforgettable Tri-Series. New Zealand, unbeaten and unflinching, walk away as deserving champions. This is Meeth Agrawal and Bidipto Datta signing off on behalf of Sportskeeda. Hope you enjoyed our coverage throughout the series. Until next time, take care and goodbye!

PS: You can now switch over to the England vs India 4th Test here.

Santner calmly collects the trophy, holds it aloft with a quiet smile, and then walks over to his teammates. No wild sprints, no over-the-top leaps, just a composed captain joining a group that’s done everything right over the last few weeks. They huddle in, lift the trophy together, and let the moment sink in. Unbeaten across five games, and now, rightful champions.

Mitchell Santner (New Zealand Captain): I think the way we hung in there... 180 was a pretty good score. Would have wanted a few more runs but South Africa bowled really well at the death. Definitely the best surface in the series. I think the guys stepped up throughout the whole series in different situations and today was a tougher one but the boys did well. This makes my job easier. The conversation with Henry was simple, just try to make them hit to the big side. We knew we needed wickets, and that was a chance. He executed beautifully.

Matt Henry (Player of the Match, 2/19 off 3 overs and defended only 7 runs in the final over, and, the Player of the Series for taking 10 wickets): "It was a top effort from the guys! It skidded on today and we had to pull our lengths back. Credit to the guys to hang in there like that. I knew I would get one of the last two, and so, was prepared. But this has been great! We have a lot of cricket coming up, so, for the guys to take tough options and proving themselves, is amazing!"

Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa captain): "Really proud of our performance! I don't think we slipped up, just a centimeter more and it could have been ours! From the outset, we wanted to try out a few things to get our strongest combination, and today we picked it. Our guys are going to learn a lot from this match. The nice thing is that everyone has contributed. So, I think it was a tremendous effort! Lots of positives to take."

4:40 PM local time (8:10 PM IST): It's time now to hear from the men who created this magic today! Time for the post-match and post-tournament presentation.

4:28 PM Local Time, 7:58 PM IST: New Zealand win by 3 runs to win the Tri Series Final!

Rachin Ravindra - 47 (27) | Matt Henry - 2/19
Lhuan-dre Pretorius - 51 (35) | Lungi Ngidi - 2/24

What. A. Finish.

A dramatic final over had it all. Two outrageous catches, a dropped sitter, a runner slipping, and nerves fraying in every corner of the ground. But Matt Henry held his nerve, pulling off a heist from nowhere, defending just 7 runs in the final over against the dangerous Brevis and SA’s lower order.

Heartbreak for South Africa. They were nearly there. But cricket, oh cricket, it writes its own scripts. Why do SA keep finding themselves in such situations? Moments away from glory, only for it to crumble right at the edge (Leaving aside WTC final, of course). It’s not just about this game, it’s a story that keeps repeating. And it hurts every single time.

Matt Henry, take a bow. The leading wicket-taker of the Tri-Series with 10 wickets, and rightly so. In the crunch moment, with the game slipping, he stood tall and pulled off a final over for the ages. Calm, clinical, cold-blooded.

South Africa began their chase with purpose, even if not aggression. Their openers, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Reeza Hendricks, looked to settle early, prioritizing wickets over fireworks. The plan worked. They ended the powerplay at a solid 46/0.

And then, they shifted gears. The next four overs saw them add another 46 runs, with Pretorius bringing up a classy maiden T20I half-century. But just as he looked set to anchor the innings, Michael Bracewell struck. The timing couldn’t have been worse for South Africa.

Reeza and van der Dussen tried to hold things together, but the innings suddenly lost rhythm. The scoreboard read 116/1. A blink later, 131/4. The pressure of the chase, the occasion, the weight of history, call it what you will, but the collapse felt inevitable. Like a script that had been read before.

But then came Brevis. The youngster with no baggage, just brutal intent. Alongside George Linde, he brought South Africa roaring back into the contest. The 18th and 19th overs brought 15 each. The target was within touching distance. The dugout, the fans, the commentators, all sensed it. SA had this.

But then, Matt Henry, the man who has quietly been New Zealand’s most reliable weapon in the series, came on for the final over with 7 needed. Against Brevis, against pressure, against chaos. And he owned the moment.

First came the heartbreak, Brevis miscued, Bracewell judged the boundary catch to perfection. Then came the twist, 4 needed off 2, and Mitchell pulled off one of the greatest pressure catches in recent memory. It was destined for the boundary, but Daryl Mitchell said no.

South Africa, yet again, found themselves on the wrong side of destiny. New Zealand, meanwhile, completed a perfect campaign - five wins out of five to clinch the Tri Series title.

overs

177 /6 score

runs

Senuran Muthusamy *

0 (1)

Corbin Bosch

3 (2)

Matt Henry

2 /19

19.6 Matt Henry to Senuran Muthusamy, over the wicket, NEW ZEALAND WIN A THRILLER! HENRY DEFENDS ONLY 7 RUNS! THIS IS A T20 EPIC THAT COMES TO AN END! THE BLACKCAPS ARE THE DESERVING WINNERS OF THE TRI-SERIES! Back of a length and slow around off-stump. The swipe across the line on the back foot gets missed. The keeper does not miss his collection and that settles everything!

Can Muthusamy take SA home here? Or is it Matt Henry who's going to have the last laugh?

Senuran Muthusamy batting at 8th position

Unreal scenes in Harare! Mitchell pulls off a stunner, saving a certain boundary with a full-stretch dive. What drama!

George Linde has been dismissed for 10 runs off 10 balls

19.5 Matt Henry to George Linde, over the wicket, TALK ABOUT TAKING STUNNING CATCHES AND DARYL MITCHELL HAS PUT HIS NAME RIGHT UP THERE WITH THIS STUNNER! Back of a length and a bit slow around off. Slapped on the up off the back foot. Linde thought he made great contact and it definitely was headed for a boundary. But Mitchell at long-on flung himself to his right and caught it as if his life depended on it! He also kept the rope behind him in mind!

Are we going to see a SUPER OVER?

Ohh no! Bosch wanted a two there but Linde slipped down while turning for the second. They settle for one. 4 needed from 2.

19.4 Matt Henry to Corbin Bosch, AH! ONLY ONE RUN! Full and slow on off-stump. Chipped off the pads over mid-wicket for a single. But Linde slips at the striker's end! 4 runs needed off 2 balls!

DROPPED THIS TIME!

19.3 Matt Henry to Corbin Bosch, BRACEWELL DROPS THIS ONE! TWO RUNS TAKEN! Short and slow around off. Pulled off the back foot but not from the meat of the blade. Deep mid-wicket runs in, looks into the sun and puts it down!

Corbin Bosch batting at 7th position

COMMENTARY NOT AVAILABLE