New Zealand have demonstrated their incredible ability to chase down targets in South Africa. That, coupled with world-class individual talents emerging on both teams, creates high-octane drama in one-day international cricket matches between these two rivals.
These two teams have produced some of the most exciting cricket encounters of recent times – from dramatic Test finishes to fierce T20 contests! South Africa National Cricket Team Vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline offers a complete view of their longstanding rivalry!
| Date | Venue | Tournament | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Mar 2025 | Lahore | Champions Trophy Semi-Final | New Zealand won by 50 runs (362/6 vs 312/9) (myKhel) |
| 10 Feb 2025 | Lahore | Tri-Nations / Pre-Champions Trophy | New Zealand won by 6 wickets (308/4 vs 304/6) (Sportskeeda) |
| 1 Nov 2023 | Pune | ICC Cricket World Cup | South Africa won by 190 runs (357/4 vs 167) (The Sports Time) |
| 19 Jun 2019 | Birmingham | ICC Cricket World Cup | New Zealand won by 4 wickets (245/6 vs 241/6) (The Sports Time) |
| 4 Mar 2017 | Auckland | Bilateral ODI Series | South Africa won by 6 wickets (Sportskeeda) |
Timeline
South Africa and New Zealand cricket teams have developed one of the most thrilling rivalries in international cricket, marked by high stakes encounters featuring spectacular individual performances, shared sportsmanship principles and fierce rivalries between their national sides. From thrilling T20 matches in Guyana to Test matches played out under sunny Cape Town skies – matches between Black Caps and Proteas never fail to deliver an exciting and engaging spectacle!
This article presents the complete history of New Zealand-South Africa cricket rivalry and provides a thorough examination of every significant matchup across Test, ODI and T20I formats as well as providing insight into some iconic moments that have defined this remarkable rivalry.
South Africa’s most memorable victory against New Zealand came during a nail-biting Champions Trophy semi-final match in 2008 that ended with AB de Villiers scoring an unbeaten 88 not only leading his side to victory but also becoming one of the finest moments ever seen in competition history. This match remains widely revered.
Since then, New Zealand and South Africa have engaged in several thrilling ODIs against each other, including five World Cup matches. Each side has won several memorable contests against one another over time; some particularly intense clashes took place at 2015 World Cup; in their first quarterfinal, New Zealand beat Proteas by four wickets to secure a semifinal berth while their final battle between Black Caps and Proteas saw both sides put on an amazing display as each team kept pushing each other all the way to finish line; both teams pushed each other throughout this match-up!
New Zealand’s batting lineup has been instrumental to their success against South Africa, with players like Kane Williamson and Jesse Ryder having established strong records against them. Kagiso Rabada – South Africa’s premier fast bowler – also proved an effective weapon against New Zealand due to his ability to generate pace and bounce when bowling against them.
Heinrich Klaasen has shown himself to be an outstanding finisher in shorter formats as well. His unbeaten 76 off 43 balls at Guyana in 2024 T20 World Cup match proved crucial to Proteas victory, marking one of only three players who have scored an unbeaten century against New Zealanders in T20I cricket and his performance under pressure proved just that!
Matches
New Zealand’s batsmen and spinners rose to the challenge with an outstanding performance that propelled them into the final of the T20 tri-series against South Africa at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time). Tim Robinson and debutant Bevon Jacobs shared an unbeaten century partnership as New Zealand reached 173-5; South Africa were dismissed for just 152 runs in their penultimate over – another humiliating defeat suffered at the hands of Kiwi side known to deliver beyond expectations during marquee tournaments.
NZ won the toss and elected to bowl on a flat pitch, opting for pace bowlers Adam Milne (2-21), Matt Henry (3-20) and Jacob Duffy (3-33) reduced South Africa’s batting line-up into an irrelevance – Reeza Hendricks (41) and George Linde (30) offered resistance but were ultimately bowled away by NZ fast bowlers.
NZ were always in control during their run chase despite losing wickets regularly and won by 21 runs to claim their second series win. Tim Seifert scored an unbeaten half century, debutant Jacobs contributing 44 runs off 30 balls while Daryl Mitchell’s 20 from 15 cameo ensured New Zealand didn’t falter late on.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius made South Africa an impressive start, but his dismissal for 27 off 17 bowled by Henry began their decline. Seifert then struck two fours and sixes off his second over to add further pressure on an already faltering side.
Scores
After winning the toss and opting to bat first on a flat pitch, New Zealand bowlers launched into South African batting with full force, quickly reducing them to 78-5 in under 15 overs batting first. Reeza Hendricks scored 41 off 37 balls while George Linde picked up 23 off 15 before New Zealand spinners Adam Milne (2/21) and Mitchell Santner (2/26) each took two wickets as Black Caps broke through South Africa’s middle order.
Dewald Brevis and George Linde tried hard to keep the Proteas competitive, but were unable to prevent an unexpected collapse that saw all four wickets fall for just seven runs in just the penultimate over, giving the Black Caps an 18-run victory at Harere Sports Ground.
Tim Robinson shone for New Zealand with the bat, scoring 75 not out off just 57 balls – an unbroken century stand with debutant Bevon Jacobs who made 44 on his T20 debut – pushing their total past par after they had been sent in at 70-5.
South Africa made an encouraging start in their reply, but youngster Lhuan-dre Pretorius was caught behind to Seifert off Matt Henry. Reece Hendricks soon fell for 41 before Seifert scored 51 from 23 deliveries – Devon Conway being the sole other batsman who reached 20 before falling victim to Ish Sodhi’s spin for just five runs.
Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy each took three wickets for New Zealand as South Africa suffered their seventh consecutive defeat in their nine-match series. New Zealand finished top of the tri-series points table to reach Saturday’s final versus South Africa; their victory means that South Africa have suffered nine semi-final losses while New Zealand have only experienced eight.
Players
South Africa-New Zealand cricket rivalry is among the most heated and riveting rivalries, featuring teams that combine flair with tactical cricket to produce thrilling contests that often come down to the last ball. They have met on numerous memorable occasions that have left an indelible mark on history; here are some of their most iconic battles.
New Zealand came out victorious against South Africa by seven wickets on Tuesday at Harare in the tri-series match, thanks to Tim Seifert’s fiery half century and brilliant bowling performances by their counterparts from New Zealand. This victory vaults New Zealand ahead of South Africa on the points table and sets up a final between these teams.
South Africa are clear favorites to win this match but their unexpected loss to India in Group A’s decider has cast some doubt upon their form. Still, South Africa are confident of making a strong challenge for the title and will eager to end their Champions Trophy semi-final drought.
The Proteas have been given an extra boost with the return of key players such as AB de Villiers, Brevis Bekker, Chris Morris, and Dwaine Pretorius. Furthermore, young talent such as Jeetan Patel and Kagiso Rabada also provide quality young options; unfortunately Kane Williamson and Matt Henry will miss this match due to injury.
The Black Caps may not have found their form yet this season, but they remain an unpredictable team that poses serious threats in any tournament they enter. Unbeaten in five one-day internationals since 2015 and boast an excellent track record against South Africa – each side winning two games of four meeting during Champions Trophy history.
AB de Villiers is widely considered one of the greatest batsmen of his generation. An innovative batsman with an expansive repertoire, de Villiers was named ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year career – making him the most decorated batsman ever in ODI cricket history.
Jacques Henry Kallis OIS was a South African former cricketer widely considered one of the greatest all-rounders ever. Adroit at both batting right-handed and bowling fast medium pace, Kallis could change the course of any match through his skillful innings – amassing over 10,000 runs in Test cricket alone while taking 292 ODI wickets and taking 131 catches as an outstanding fielder.