New Zealand delivered a dominant performance with both batting and bowling, securing a victory over South Africa in the second semifinal held in Lahore. This win propels them into the Champions Trophy 2025 final, where they will face India.
Centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson were instrumental in New Zealand’s impressive total of 362 runs. Subsequently, their spin bowlers worked effectively together to clinch the win. However, David Miller’s explosive, unbeaten century off 67 balls – the fastest in Champions Trophy history – narrowed South Africa’s defeat margin to 50 runs at the end.
South Africa’s chase began under pressure right from the start. Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson’s tight bowling created early difficulties. This pressure led to the early dismissal of Ryan Rickelton, who mistimed a shot off Henry and was caught at cover.
Despite a slow initial PowerPlay, South Africa recovered somewhat with boundaries from Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen. However, they struggled against New Zealand’s spinners, Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner, who consistently bowled tight overs.
Even though Bavuma and van der Dussen reached their half-centuries, Santner’s crucial wickets of both set batsmen turned the game decisively in New Zealand’s favor. Santner varied his pace and extracted turn from the pitch, dismissing Bavuma and then breaching van der Dussen’s defense.
At this stage, South Africa needed a special innings from Heinrich Klaasen, but New Zealand captain Kane Williamson prevailed in their anticipated matchup, dismissing Klaasen at long-on. From there, New Zealand comfortably closed out the game, with Bracewell taking another wicket and Ravindra and Glenn Phillips adding three more.
Late in the game, David Miller provided some excitement with his powerful hitting. Despite the match being decided, Miller scored a rapid century, hitting multiple boundaries against Jamieson and O’Rourke. He reached his century off the last ball needed, reducing the final margin of defeat.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand’s strong batting performance set the stage. Ravindra was in excellent form from the beginning. After South Africa briefly slowed the scoring after dismissing Will Young, Williamson helped New Zealand regain control.
Ravindra was particularly aggressive, frequently finding the boundary, while Williamson played a supporting role. Both batsmen reached milestones, with Williamson getting his fifty off 61 balls and Ravindra reaching his fifth ODI century, all of which have come in ICC tournaments.
After Rabada’s dismissal, Williamson took over, with Daryl Mitchell providing support. Williamson effectively used the scoop shot to reach his second fifty in just 31 balls. However, attempting the same shot led to his dismissal. Despite this, Mitchell and Phillips accelerated the scoring in the final overs, scoring 83 runs in the last six overs and securing New Zealand’s strong position.
Match Summary: New Zealand 362/6 in 50 overs (Rachin Ravindra 108, Kane Williamson 102, Glenn Phillips 49*; Lungi Ngidi 3/72) defeated South Africa 312/9 in 50 overs (David Miller 100*, Rassie van der Dussen 69; Mitchell Santner 3/43) by 50 runs.
