Lahore: New Zealand beat South Africa in the second semi-final of the Champions Trophy after a one-sided contest to reach the final. This is New Zealand’s third Champions Trophy final overall. In this match played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first and gave South Africa a target of 363 runs to win.
Batting first, New Zealand scored 362 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Rachin Ravindra scored 104 runs, and Kane Williamson scored 100 runs, while Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips scored 49 and 49 runs, respectively. For South Africa, Lungi Ngidi took 3 wickets, Kagiso Rabada took 2 wickets, and Wiaan Mulder took one wicket.
South Africa began the chase with cautious batting, but the team’s hopes of victory became difficult to maintain. South Africa’s first wicket fell for 20, while a 105-run partnership between captain Temba Bavuma and Quinton Dawson for the second wicket kept hopes alive. However, South Africa’s batting line-up faltered after the dismissals of Bavuma, who made 56, and Dawson, who made 69.
In the closing moments, David Miller took on the New Zealand bowlers with a century of 101 runs, but due to the high run rate and the fall of wickets, he failed to take his team across the victory line. South Africa was 312 in 50 overs, after which New Zealand won by 57 runs.
For New Zealand, Mitchell Santner took 3 wickets, Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips took 2 wickets each, while Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra took one wicket each.
New Zealand will now face India in the final of the Champions Trophy, who reached the final after beating Australia in the semi-final. The final match will be played at the Dubai International Stadium, where both teams will face each other in the final battle of the trophy battle.
