South Africa defeated New Zealand by 7 wickets on Saturday, to all but secure their spot in the Super 8 round of the T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad thanks to the batting and bowling prowess of captain Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen.
Chasing a 176-run target, Markram’s unbeaten 86 off 44 balls tied his career-best T20I score. Quinton de Kock struck 20 off 14 as he and Markram shared 62 runs off 28 balls for the opening stand, while Ryan Rickelton made 21 off 11 balls.
Dewald Brevis (21 off 17) made a valuable contribution before Markram and David Miller (24 not out off 17) ended the match at 178/3 in 17.1 overs.
Earlier, South Africa restricted New Zealand to 175-7 with career best bowling figures of 4/40 from Marco Jansen.
South Africa, fresh from their dramatic double Super Over win against Afghanistan at the same venue, struck at regular intervals after winning the toss and opting to field.
Mark Chapman led New Zealand’s resistance with a fluent 48, while Jimmy Neesham provided late impetus with an unbeaten 23 off 15 deliveries, steering the Kiwis to a competitive total.
Before Finn Allen, who hit 31 off 17 balls, hit three fours and a six off Lungi Ngidi in the third over, the Black Caps began cautiously. Tim Seifert, another in-form opener, joined the attack by hitting Jansen with a six, but the left-arm fast bowler responded by having him caught behind for 13 off the following ball.
In his subsequent over, Jansen struck twice, dismissing Allen and Rachin Ravindra for 13 runs each. When Keshav Maharaj’s left-arm spin bowled Glenn Phillips for one, New Zealand fell to 64-4.
Daryl Mitchell and Chapman revived New Zealand’s innings with a crucial 74-run stand for the fifth wicket, briefly raising hopes of a 200-plus finish. But South Africa’s decision to reintroduce Marco Jansen proved decisive, as the left-armer outfoxed Chapman with a well-disguised slower ball that was sliced to backward point, denying him a half-century.
Mitchell departed for 32 and captain Mitchell Santner managed just four, before Neesham provided a late flourish, finishing the innings with back-to-back boundaries.
