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New Zealand
South Africa
New Zealand will face South Africa in the second T20I of the series at Seddon Park in Hamilton. South Africa will enter this match with a 1-0 lead after securing a comfortable 7-wicket win in the opening game at Bay Oval.
The first match showed clear dominance from South Africa with the ball. New Zealand lost 5 wickets inside the Powerplay and never recovered from that early collapse. Jimmy Neesham scored 26 runs, but debutant Nqobani Mokoena dismantled the lower order as New Zealand were bowled out for just 91 in the 15th over.
South Africa chased the target calmly despite losing an early wicket. Connor Esterhuizen anchored the innings with 45 off 48 balls and finished the chase with 20 balls remaining. New Zealand will rely on their stronger head-to-head record, having won 3 of the last 5 meetings against South Africa.
Ottneil Baartman has taken 22 wickets in his last 11 T20 matches and already picked up 2 wickets in the first game, showing his form and ability to strike regularly.
The betting tip is...
Ottneil Baartman - Over 1.5 wickets
64 %
36 %
New ZealandSouth AfricaJames Neesham top-scored with 26, the only batter to cross 20 runs in the first T20I. The team lost the first 4 wickets for 21 and the last 4 for 11, exposing batting weaknesses.
Devon Conway will open with Tom Latham. Conway has 332 runs in 17 games since 2024 but scored only 1 in the first match, while Latham made 7 and has 523 runs in 24 innings. Tim Robinson will bat at number three. Robinson has 567 runs in 25 T20Is in the last two years at a strike rate of 138.86 with one century and two fifties.
Bevon Jacobs has scored 361 runs in the recent Super Smash at a strike rate of 164.84 with 5 half-centuries in his last 6 matches. Santner took 1/8 in four overs, while Jamieson and Foulkes picked one wicket each.
Foulkes, Sears and Jamieson are the key bowlers.
Predicted Lineup: Devon Conway, Tom Latham (wk), Tim Robinson, Bevon Jacobs, Nick Kelly, Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Zakary Foulkes, Mitchell Santner (c), Ben Sears, Kyle Jamieson.
Tony de Zorzi opened the innings with debutant Connor Esterhuizen. Esterhuizen anchored the chase and remained unbeaten on 45 with 2 fours and 2 sixes.
Rubin Hermann had scored 226 runs for Pearl Royals in 10 games in the recent SA20. Jason Smith added 10 runs while Dian Forrester scored 16. Jordan Hermann did not get a chance to bat after scoring 273 runs in 10 games for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.
George Linde has scored 333 runs in 23 innings at a strike rate of 142 and picked up 34 wickets at an economy of 7.45. Gerald Coetzee dismissed Devon Conway and Tom Latham inside the first 13 deliveries, while Ottneil Baartman removed 2 wickets in one over. Keshav Maharaj took 2 wickets and has 8 wickets in his last 7 games. Nqobani Mokoena won POTM by taking 3 wickets.
Coetzee, Mokoena and Baartman are the key bowlers.
Predicted Lineup: Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, Jordan Hermann, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj (c), Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee
South Africa will be confident after their bowling performance in the first game. Their pace attack looked sharp, which will again put pressure on the NZ batting lineup. Nqobani Mokoena made a solid impact on debut, taking 3 wickets, while Gerald Coetzee and Ottneil Baartman provided good support with 2 wickets each.
Baartman will be a key threat again for NZ. He has been in excellent form with 22 wickets in the last 11 T20s, showing how effective he has been with the new ball and at the death. If New Zealand look to attack early, Baartman will get good chances to strike multiple times again. South Africa will likely win this match also.
