Staff Reporter.
The Proteas posted a meagre 134/8 off their allotted 20 overs in the T20 Tri-Series clash against New Zealand in Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
It was only Reeza Hendricks managed a decent score, but he struggled through a patchy innings that ended with him out for 41 off 37 balls (4×4; 1×6).
The Black Caps bowlers were disciplined, with Adam Milne, 2/21, Mitchell Santner, 2/26, and Jacob Duffy, 2/33, the key wicket takers.
The Proteas innings got off to a poor start as captain Rassie van der Dussen (14) hogged the strike over the first two and a half overs, before stepping away from his stumps aiming a big shot at Milne, only to completely miss the ball and see his off stump uprooted leaving them on 14/1.
Rubin Hermann (10) and Hendricks combined for 20-run second wicket stand, and seemed to be getting them on track, but a mix up and some brilliant fielding from Mark Chapman saw Hermann run out at the non-strikers end, as they slipped to 34/2 after seven overs.
Dewald Brevis (13) tried to play positively, but also found scoring tough, before trying to ramp a short ball from Will O’Rourke, but just nicked off to keeper Tom Seifert, with the score 52/3 in the 10th.
That soon became 57/4 in the 11th as Lhuan-dre Pretorius (1) popped an easy catch to Duffy off the bowling of Santner.
Hendricks, who was battling to hold onto the strike and watching the carnage from the other end, tried to revive things with Andile Simelane (11), during a 22-run partnership, but Simelane was trapped in front by Santner with them 79/5 in the 15th over.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert(w), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, William ORourke
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Lhuan-dre Pretorius(w), Rassie van der Dussen(c), Rubin Hermann, Dewald Brevis, Andile Simelane, George Linde, Senuran Muthusamy, Gerald Coetzee, Nqabayomzi Peter, Kwena Maphaka.