New Zealand held their nerve in a high-octane finale to clinch the Harare Tri-Series with a nail-biting seven-run win over South Africa. In a game that twisted and turned until the final delivery, it was Matt Henry’s composure under pressure that sealed victory and the trophy for the Kiwis.
“Really proud of the guys”: Henry delivers in tense final over
With South Africa needing just seven runs from the final over, Henry produced a match-winning spell, dismissing the dangerous Dewald Brevis and George Linde before closing out the game with a dot-ball yorker.
To get over the line in a tight game, really proud of the guys. It skidded on quite a lot early, so had to drag our length back. The way they (SA openers) started… credit to the guys in the middle for staying in the fight.
Henry revealed he expected to be bowling one of the last two overs but was delighted to land the decisive one.
“Great to get the last one, and when it goes your way, it is brilliant,” he added.
“We’re stepping into a big year of T20 cricket – a World Cup and a big home series. The way guys are being brave with their skillset… that’s what we’ve been asking of people.”
Pretorius fireworks undone by middle-order wobble
South Africa looked well in control in their chase of 181 after a blazing 92-run opening partnership between Reeza Hendricks (37) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who dazzled with a 33-ball fifty.
But momentum shifted swiftly. Jacob Duffy broke through with the wicket of Hermann, and Adam Milne’s dismissal of Rassie van der Dussen triggered a collapse of 4 for 39. South Africa were suddenly staring at 50 needed off 29 balls.
Brevis (31) and Linde (22) rekindled hope with a 43-run blitz off 25 balls, but Henry’s clutch death bowling shattered those dreams.
“A game of millimetres”: South Africa rue fine margins
Despite the loss, South African skipper Rassie van der Dussen was full of praise for his team’s effort.
Really proud of that performance. It’s a game of millimetres. Seven off six – we needed a centimetre more on that Brevis shot. We played a pretty good game. They (New Zealand) are an experienced side. The young guys will learn a lot from this.
With key players resting, South Africa used the series to experiment—and the results were encouraging.
“Everyone has contributed. A lot of guys are not here. The young guys putting their hands up, saying they want to be part of this team… that’s always a good place to be,” the captain added.
Ravindra, Conway shine with the bat
Earlier, New Zealand’s innings was anchored by a fluent 75-run opening stand between Tim Seifert (30) and Devon Conway (47), with Rachin Ravindra adding late acceleration with a 27-ball 47.
Despite a late squeeze from South Africa’s bowlers, led by Lungi Ngidi (4-0-24-1), New Zealand posted a competitive 180/5. Crucially, South Africa leaked 13 wides, a costly lapse in an otherwise disciplined showing.
Seifert topped the series run charts, while Henry finished as the highest wicket-taker with 10 scalps in four matches.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 180/5 in 20 overs (Rachin Ravindra 47, Devon Conway 47; Lungi Ngidi 2/24, Senuran Muthusamy 1/27) South Africa 177/6 in 20 overs (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 51, Reeza Hendricks 37; Matt Henry 2/19, Michael Bracewell 1/29) New Zealand won by 3 runs
