Christchurch, March 25 – Wicketkeeper batter Connor Esterhuizen's half-century, followed by a brilliant performance from the bowlers, helped South Africa secure a 33-run victory over New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I, clinching the five-game series 3-2 at the Hagley Oval on Wednesday.
Batting first, South Africa posted 187/4 in 20 overs, with Esterhuizen leading the batting effort. In reply, New Zealand were restricted to 154 in 20 overs.
After losing the toss and batting first, the Proteas scored 43 runs in the powerplay, losing only one wicket of opener Tony de Zorzi (21 off 22 balls). Rubin Hermann and Wiaan Mulder then forged a 55-run partnership, taking the team to 76 runs by the halfway stage.
New Zealand got the breakthrough on the first ball of the 10th over when Mulder (31 off 29 balls) was out. Esterhuizen continued his form and formed a 49-run partnership with Hermann, who was dismissed in the 16th over.
Esterhuizen completed his fifty off 25 balls, scoring 75 runs in just 33 balls. He smashed four boundaries and six sixes during his innings, helping the team reach a challenging total of 187 runs.
Chasing 188, New Zealand scored 46 runs but lost two key wickets in the powerplay. Dane Cleaver and Bavon Jacobs showed resilience in the middle overs, but the Proteas struck regularly, disrupting the chase, and the hosts were only able to score 154 runs, losing 8 wickets in 20 overs.
Coetzee was the most successful bowler for South Africa, taking two wickets while conceding only 21 runs. Mulder and Baartman also took two wickets, while captain Maharaj took one wicket as the visitors won against the Blackcaps at home.
Brief Scores: South Africa 187/4 in 20 overs (Connor Esterhuizen 75, Rubin Hermann 39; Ben Sears 2-37, Josh Clarkson 1-14) beat New Zealand 154/8 in 20 overs (Bevon Jacobs 36, Tim Robinson 25; Gerald Coetzee 2-21, Wiaan Mulder 2-28) by 33 runs.