- By Namrata Vijay
- Sun, 15 Mar 2026 04:35 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
NZ vs SA 1st T20I: South Africa, with a few changes to the team, comprehensively beat New Zealand by 7 wickets with 20 balls remaining. The Proteas had a formidable bowling attack, which left the hosts reeling at 36/5, and they were eventually skittled out for 91 runs in 15 overs, the Kiwis' 10th-lowest total in the shortest format.
The Keshav Maharaj-led side chased the target quickly as they were 93/3 on the back of opener Connor Esterhuizen playing brilliantly as he scored a match-winning knock of 45 runs off 48 balls and has taken a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match T20I series.
The young Esterhuizen was one of four Protea players who made their international debuts, along with Rubin Herman, Dian Forrester, and Nqobani Mokoena. Mokoena performed brilliantly on a pitch that provided unpredictable bounce at Mount Maungauni's Bay Oval and registered match-winning figures of 3/26, thus preventing the hosts from scoring more than 100 runs.
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“It was quite cool making my debut. I just went out there and enjoyed it," Mokoena told broadcasters during the post-match presentation.
“The whole team was backing me, and I was quite excited about it. I just stuck to my plans and thank God it came off", he added.
South Africa's Gerald Coetzee and Ottneil Bartman also made significant contributions as they took two wickets apiece.
The Mitchell Santner-led side played this match after losing to India during the summit clash of the T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad last week. Mitchell Santner and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham were the only two players from that team to have played in this series, as the others were given some rest. Santner was the pick among the bowlers as he registered figures of 1/8 in the four overs that he bowled, whereas Neesham was their highest run-scorer as he had scored 28 runs and then was dismissed by Mokoena.
Maharaj’s Special 50!
The Proteas last played a match in this format against the same opponent during the semifinal of the recently concluded mega-event. Keshav Maharaj is the only player from that team leading from the front, playing in his 50th T20I match.
Maharaj had registered match-winning figures of 4/25 in the four overs that he bowled. His spell played a huge role in helping the team restrict the Kiwis to just 91 runs. He also dismissed New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner and pacer Kyle Jamieson.
When Keshav dismissed Kyle Jamieson, he achieved a personal feat of taking 50 wickets in the shortest format. Ever since he made his debut in this format against Sri Lanka in 2021, he has been a dependable option for the Proteas.
After playing in 50 matches till now, he has taken as many wickets at a staggering average of 23.60 and a brilliant economy rate of 7.69. He registered the best bowling figures of 3/24 in this format. Of all the Protea spinners, Tabraiz Shamsi and Imran Tahir are the only ones to have taken more wickets than him in this format.
New Zealand will lock horns with South Africa for the 2nd T20I in Hamilton next week.