Star pacer Matt Henry defended eight runs in a tense final over to help New Zealand seal a narrow three-run victory over South Africa in the T20I tri-series final at Harare Sports Club on Saturday. Chasing 181 for the tri-series title, South Africa appeared firmly in control for much of the innings, needing just eight runs from the final eight deliveries with six wickets in hand. However, two exceptional catches in the deep and a composed final over from Matt Henry turned the match on its head.
Dewald Brevis seemed to have put South Africa on course for victory with a blistering 31 off just 16 balls, but his attempt to clear the square-leg boundary was spectacularly denied by Michael Bracewell. Bracewell juggled the ball on the rope and completed a remarkable catch just inside the field of play to dismiss Brevis.In the very next over, Daryl Mitchell pulled off a superb diving effort at long-off to remove George Linde, who was threatening to finish the game with a big hit down the ground.
New Zealand vs South Africa, Tri-series: HIGHLIGHTS
With seven needed from the last over, Henry conceded just three runs and bowled a dot ball to Senuran Muthusamy off the final delivery to seal the win. The experienced pacer finished with figures of 2 for 19 from his three overs. “As a group we’ve been playing some really good cricket, and to get over the line in such a tight game, I’m proud of the lads,” said Henry. “It’s credit to the team’s attitude – staying in the fight and knowing that wickets can change things quickly.”
Earlier, New Zealand were put in to bat and posted a competitive 180 for five. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra led the charge with identical scores of 47, setting a solid platform for the middle order to accelerate in the latter stages. In response, South Africa’s Lhuan-dre Pretorius impressed with a fluent 51 off 35 balls, keeping the chase on course. But despite their promising position, the Proteas faltered under pressure in the closing stages.
“We played a pretty good game – it really was a match of millimetres,” said South Africa captain Rassie van der Dussen. “We’ve had a few players making their debuts and have tried a few different things in this series, so for the youngsters to come in and get so close, it’s something we’ll definitely learn from.”
Zimbabwe, the third side in the tri-series, lost all four of their group-stage matches.
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