When two top-class cricket teams collide, it always promises an exhilarating contest full of thrills and suspense. This match was no different: from its flashy performances to unexpected twists.
Dewald Brevis takes a hard swing towards deep square leg. Michael Bracewell displays great presence of mind to grab the catch.
| Match Details | South Africa National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team – ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Final |
|---|---|
| Venue | Not specified |
| Toss | New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first |
| Result | New Zealand won by 4 runs (tight finish) |
| Key Moments | – Michael Bracewell’s spectacular catch to dismiss Dewald Brevis- Mitchell Santner’s impactful all-round performance- South Africa needed 7 runs in the final over but fell short- Glenn Phillips & Daryl Mitchell scored crucial runs for NZ |
| New Zealand Innings Highlights | – Strong start despite losing early wickets- Centuries from Glenn Phillips & Daryl Mitchell- Key partnerships kept momentum going- Target set: 298 runs |
| South Africa Innings Highlights | – Early collapse (3 wickets inside 4 overs)- Reeza Hendricks & George Linde tried to rebuild- Dewald Brevis (31) and Lhuan-dre Pretorious (41) gave hope- Fell short in the final over due to tight bowling from Matt Henry |
| Top Performers (NZ) | – Glenn Phillips – Century- Daryl Mitchell – Century- Matt Henry – Last over heroics & key wickets- Michael Bracewell – Stunning catch |
| Top Performers (SA) | – Lhuan-dre Pretorious – 41 runs- Dewald Brevis – 31 runs- Lungi Ngidi – 2 wickets- Kwena Maphaka & Senuran Muthusamy – 1 wicket each |
| Turning Point | Final over by Matt Henry restricting SA to 4 runs when they needed 7; Michael Bracewell’s diving catch |
| Final Scores | New Zealand: 298 (approx., after 50 overs)South Africa: 294/9 (50 overs) |
| Conclusion | A thrilling semi-final that swung both ways, with New Zealand holding their nerve in the death overs to secure a place in the final. |
Historical Rivalry and Background
The south africa national cricket team vs new zealand national cricket team match scorecard will be remembered as an epic spectacle, ending in an exciting tie. As the game ebbed and flowed, Mitchell Santner of New Zealand played an astute fielding performance at deep square leg to seize victory from defeat and secure victory for his side. It was a true masterpiece!
The game started slowly, but soon the Kiwis began exerting pressure on the Proteas. Soon thereafter, the Proteas were forced to deploy spinners, which gave them control of the match; but thankfully for their opponents, Kiwi top order players came through with some timely cameos in support of them in fighting back and giving the opposition no breathing room.
After their outstanding world cup showing in 2015, South Africa have continued their dominance of one-day international cricket, yet were defeated by New Zealand in a rain-affected quarter-final defeat. They would like nothing better than to exact some revenge in this tournament and they have not disappointed thus far.
Mitchell Santner of New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first, choosing Brendon McCullum and Grant Elliott to lead their charge at bat. However, New Zealand lost wickets regularly as they looked for a big total; ultimately they struggled to complete their innings successfully.
After losing three wickets early, Reeza Hendricks and George Linde performed admirably to bring back South Africa. Unfortunately, however, middle and lower order failure was too much to overcome and they fell just short of their target.
Proteas bowlers were led by fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who collected two wickets, with Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, and Senuran Muthusamy all taking one wicket each. Unfortunately for South Africa though, their attack struggled against Kiwi batsmen’s power batsmanship as the runs began flowing freely in the final stages.
19.4 Matt Henry to Dewald Brevis. Brevis attempts a pull shot and connects well, sending it soaring toward deep square leg. However, Michael Bracewell shows great presence of mind to come running from behind the stumps and take an incredible catch with one dramatic dive.
Key Turning Points in the Match
There’s something special about knockout cricket matches, and the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 certainly lived up to its billing. From incredible centuries and partnerships to jaw-dropping displays from New Zealand power-batting that left South African Proteas reeling. Below are highlights from this exceptional encounter.
After winning the toss, New Zealand started off strong after picking up two wickets in the opening over. Tim Seifert (22) and Devon Conway were dismissed by Kwena Maphaka before Rachin Ravindra hit one boundary during Rachin Ravindra’s fifth over. Mitchell Santner then bowled unyieldingly to keep South Africa under control by dismissing Reeza Hendricks (16) and Senuran Muthusamy (7) from South Africa’s innings.
South Africa was still alive in the hunt with Lhuan-dre Pretorious (41) and Dewald Brevis (31). They needed seven off the final over, and with Brevis in strike they appeared poised to pull off an unlikely win – however Matt Henry delivered one ball that hit their right-handed batsman directly, forcing him to chip it towards deep midwicket for just one run and send South Africa down the drain as their chance for final appearance faded away.
After celebrating their success in winning the tri-series, New Zealand celebrated with their teammates as they lifted Mitchell Santner onto the podium to lift and pose with the trophy and lift its prized. Following this match, both teams will now look ahead to their upcoming games: Proteas will face Zimbabwe for two Test matches; while New Zealanders take on Australia in three T20I matches. Fans should prepare themselves for an explosive battle between these two high-hitting sides that promises drama, anguish, and life-defining moments as fans take to their seats as these teams face each other head on! This will no doubt deliver epic battle scenes; fans should prepare themselves for an epic contest featuring high-hitting players going head-to-head battle between two huge-hitting teams – an encounter full of drama, anguish, drama – yet unforgettable encounter!
Final Over Drama
South Africa and New Zealand’s semi-final was an unforgettable match filled with moments that will go down in history as classics. South Africa were dominant throughout, scoring centuries at will before New Zealand took control during the death overs and held their nerve to win an incredible contest that marked one more step toward lifting the Champions Trophy trophy.
South Africa started out slowly, losing three wickets within four overs of their innings. While AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and David Miller provided some hope in their middle overs innings but ultimately could not prevent New Zealand from running away with it.
But Proteas bowlers rallied back into contention during the death overs, taking key wickets like Daryl Mitchell to stop New Zealand from running away with it. Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka and Senuran Muthusamy bowled well during these final overs to keep themselves competitive against New Zealand’s attacks.
South African batsmen struggled mightily to get any control of the situation despite an unbeaten century from Brendon McCullum. Even in their final overs when Rassie van der Dussen tried for another six off the final ball he was caught out preventing an extra time tieup being possible and thus keeping South Africa out of final contention.
After an initially dismal start to their innings, New Zealand openers successfully put their side on an aggressive course with some aggressive batting from Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell who each scored centuries, taking New Zealand closer towards its target than expected – only for South Africa captain Van der Dussen to execute an incredible run-out to deny them an attempt at the final boundary!
Proteas were given no respite in their pursuit of their revised target of 298 after losing eight wickets for 64 runs in their final 10 overs, yet did not allow this setback to ruin their chances as Dewald Brevis made a remarkable late strike to push them over the line.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
This match was an outstanding example of the variety that is found within cricket. South Africa are well known for their exuberant style of play, while New Zealand are more reserved players who tend to maintain control under pressure. Both teams were evenly matched and it made for an exciting encounter when these two sides met on the pitch; full of anguish, victory, and memorable moments – exactly what makes cricket such an enthralling sport!
South Africa was in control during the first half of this match thanks to Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen’s outstanding batting performances, but once both openers fell early in the second half, things quickly began unraveling. New Zealand kept up pressure through some terrific death bowling and remarkable catches; ultimately pulling off an incredible heist to win this contest!
Dewald Brevis gave South Africa hope of victory with his superb innings, but was quickly taken out by Matt Henry in the very next over. Reeza Hendricks and Senuran Muthusamy followed suit shortly thereafter, leaving seven runs needed off Matt Henry’s final over to win it all – Dewald Brevis was on strike when Henry bowled the short one wide outside off which dug into the track outside off with Dewald Brevis on strike, aimed for long on with Daryl Mitchell taking a spectacular catch that left them four runs short!
Heinrich Klaasen’s ability to convert even good deliveries for boundaries will be vital in South Africa’s semifinal match-up against New Zealand on Wednesday. He has been the best batsman throughout this tournament and his aggressive batting against quality New Zealand bowlers could decide the outcome of their fateful battle.