The final T20 cricket match out of the five-match series between South Africa and New Zealand is on March 25th, 2026.
The series is knotted at 2-2, which means this final match is for all the marbles. The winner of this fifth match gets bragging rights and a winning record. And, as most sports fans know, one’s pride is enough motivation to put in a good effort.
Now, it’s fair to say that neither team is dressing the best squad its country can produce in a series. However, with the PSL and IPL a mere days away from launching, it makes sense that some players would bow out altogether.
Here is the full scorecard for the fifth match of the five-match series between South Africa and New Zealand. Included are all of the batting and bowling stats for both squads.
Connor Esterhuizen was named the player of the match and player of the series.
FINAL SCORE: South Africa vs New Zealand 5th Match
South Africa: 187/4 in 20 overs
New Zealand: 154/6 in 20 overs
South Africa won the match & the series.
*New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl.
South Africa vs New Zealand T20 Cricket Scorecard
South Africa Batting Stats
Once again, Connor Esterhuizen proved his worth by knocking 75 runs off 33 deliveries. This propelled South Africa to a 187/4 lead after their innings.
| Name | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
| Tony De Zorzi | 12 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| Wiaan Mulder | 31 | 29 | 2 | 2 |
| Rubin Hermann | 39 | 31 | 4 | 1 |
| Connor Esterhuizen | 75 | 33 | 5 | 6 |
| Dian Forrester | 21 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| Jason Smith | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| George Linde | – | – | – | – |
| Gerald Coetzee | – | – | – | – |
| Keshav Maharaj | – | – | – | – |
| Prenelan Subrayen | – | – | – | – |
| Ottneil Baartman | – | – | – | – |
New Zealand Bowling Stats
New Zealand’s bowlers had a tough time trying to contain their opponents’ batters. Ben Sears collected two wickets despite surrendering 37 runs, while Josh Clarkson limited South Africa to 14 runs in his two overs.
| Name | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Kyle Jamieson | 4 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| Zakary Foulkes | 4 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| Ben Sears | 4 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
| James Neesham | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Cole McConchie | 4 | 0 | 48 | 0 |
| Josh Clarkson | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
New Zealand Batting Stats
Here are the stats for the New Zealand batters. Outside of Bevon Jacobs, no one could really get anything going against the South African bowlers. Additionally, Jacobs was the only New Zealand batter to score a six in this match.
| Name | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
| Katene Clarke | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Robinson | 25 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Dane Cleaver | 22 | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| Nick Kelly | 14 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Bevon Jacobs | 36 | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| James Neesham | 24 | 24 | 2 | 0 |
| Josh Clarkson | 13 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Cole McConchie | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Zakary Foulkes | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Kyle Jamieson | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Ben Sears | – | – | – | – |
South Africa Bowling Stats
It wasn’t the prettiest outing for South Africa’s bowlers, but they got the job done. Multiple wicket performances from Gerald Coetzee, Wiaan Mulder, and Ottneil Baartman helped seal the victory.
| Name | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| George Linde | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Gerald Coetzee | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
| Wiaan Mulder | 3 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| Ottneil Baartman | 4 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| Prenelan Subrayen | 4 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Keshav Maharaj | 3 | 0 | 35 | 1 |
New Zealand vs South Africa Squads: 5th Match in T20 Cricket Series
South Africa Squad
- Prenelan Subrayen, Keshav Maharaj (c), George Linde, Jason Smith, Ottneil Baartman, Tony de Zorzi, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Rubin Hermann (wk), Gerald Coetzee, Andile Simelane, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Dian Forrester, Nqobani Mokoena
New Zealand Squad
- James Neesham, Devon Conway (wk), Cole McConchie, Mitchell Santner (c), Dane Cleaver (wk), Tom Blundell (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Josh Clarkson, Nick Kelly, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Katene Clarke, Jayden Lennox, Tim Robinson, Zakary Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs.
New Zealand vs South Africa 5th T20 Cricket Scorecard: Who Scored the Most Runs? Most Wickets?