South Africa vs New Zealand Match Highlights
On March 5, 2025, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore witnessed a fiery clash between South Africa and New Zealand as the ICC Champions Trophy second semi-final began at 2 PM local time. The match that promised plenty of run-scoring thrill unfolded into a high-scoring affair where New Zealand emerged the winner by 50 runs after posting an imposing total of 362-6 in 50 overs.
Though the South Africans fought hard, they could only manage 312-9 runs in reply. New Zealand’s innings was a blend of sensible aggression mixed with grit. Rapid Will Young mustered 21 off 23 balls before being undone by Lungi Ngidi in the 8th over. Then came the innings from Rachin Ravindra, his 108 coming off 101 deliveries and laced with 13 fours and a six before succumbing to Kagiso Rabada.
Anchoring the middle stage was Kane Williamson with a slow 102 off 94 balls, 10 fours and 2 sixes, before Wiaan Mulder got him out. Daryl Mitchell scored 49 runs off 37 balls, while Glenn Phillips contributed an unbeaten 49 runs off just 27 balls with 7 fours and a six to help New Zealand past 350. Other batsmen, including Tom Latham and Michael Bracewell, contributed small but crucial innings as Mitchell Santner remained not out on 2 runs.
The South African bowlers were taken apart, with Ngidi taking 3 wickets for 72 and Rabada 2 for 70, but Jansen was extremely expensive, going for 79 runs in 10 considered overs without getting any wickets. Chasing 363, South Africa needed a strong start, but Ryan Rickelton’s innings of 17 off 12 ended early off the bowling of Matt Henry. Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen steadied the ship with a partnership of 105 runs, scoring 56 off 71 and 69 off 66 respectively.
However, Santner’s double strike took away the momentum as he dismissed Bavuma, followed shortly after by Heinrich Klaasen, who managed a meager 3 runs. Aiden Markram’s innings of 31 off 29 continued keeping hopes alive until he was dismissed by Ravindra, while Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen were dismissed cheaply by Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips, respectively.
David Miller’s stunning 100 off 67 deliveries was made up of 10 fours and 4 sixes. He was a lone warrior keeping his end going, though wickets kept flowing at the other end. Following that, Kagiso Rabada made 16 runs off 22 deliveries and gave brief support, however, South Africa couldn’t reach the score. The New Zealand bowlers all got in on the act, none more so than Santner, with his 3-43, and Henry at 2-43, as well a threat from Phillips, who took 2-27 in just 3 overs. The match couldn’t have been a more contrasting affair.
South Africa, despite Ngidi picking up three, found the going tough against New Zealand batting by virtue of their depth and acceleration toward the end. South Africa depended on partnerships in their chase; however, while Santner was outwitting the bowlers, Miller had to do it in isolation, underscoring the helicopter’s frailty under pressure. In the powerplays, there was tremendous slapping from both teams, with both scoring 56 in the first 10 overs, but New Zealand set the pace after the powerplay when it scored in excess of 300. Miller’s heroics wowed the Lahore crowd as South Africa put up a fight, but their fate was sealed by the early loss of wickets and their inability to rotate the strike.
New Zealand has once again proved that they have a real talent for peaking when it comes to knockout cricket, with scintillating performances from Ravindra, Williamson, and Phillips, all while that nice century from Miller for South Africa is just a silver lining in a campaign finished one step short of the final. With New Zealand moving on to their next step, the 362 they scored was way too high for a gallant South African outfit, as the dust settles on a memorable day at Gaddafi Stadium.
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