New Zealand levelled the five-match T20I series against South Africa with a dominant performance in Hamilton. After being put in to bat on a surface the women’s sides praised for its batter friendliness, New Zealand relied on Devon Conway’s experience to post a challenging target.

They may even have felt they left a few runs out there as few stayed with Conway with the 48-run opening stand their highest. South Africa’s spinners were particularly expensive as Keshav Maharaj and George Linde conceded 78 runs in the six overs they bowled.

In the end, New Zealand scored exactly the same number of runs as they posted just over a month ago against South Africa, in the group game of the T20 World Cup. Then, South Africa eased to the target with 17 balls to spare. This time, they were bowled out for their 10th lowest score in the format: an exact mirror of what New Zealand’s line-up did in the first match. Only Linde scored more than 30 as Ben Sears and Lockie Ferguson took six wickets between them in an incisive display of quick bowling.

With South Africa women winning earlier in the day, both the men’s and women’s series are locked at 1-1.

Conway collects his highest in two years

Conway didn’t get any games at the T20 World Cup but showed he still has plenty to offer with an innings that provided a solid foundation for New Zealand to build on. He was productive on the leg-side from the get-go, when he flicked the first ball of the match through mid-wicket for four and scored 80% of his runs in that half of the field. That included both his sixes: the slog-sweep off Keshav Maharaj in the over after the Powerplay and his launch over long-on off Wiaan Mulder which brought up his fifty off 39 balls. Conway has not scored this many runs in 20 T20I innings, since February 2024. He was ready to up the ante as New Zealand entered the last five overs and tried to pull Wiaan Mulder but was cramped for room and top-edged. New Zealand were 124 for 4 with 27 deliveries remaining.

South Africa’s death bowling misses a trick

With Conway dismissed, and New Zealand 126 for 5 after 16 overs, South Africa had the opportunity to keep the hosts under 160 but their death bowling plans faltered. Nqobani Mokeona, the 19-year old, bowled a good 17th over that cost only seven runs and finished with excellent figures of 0 for 22 in four overs. Gerald Coetzee’s final over went for eight runs and brought the wicket of Jimmy Neesham before Ottneil Baartman’s last over cost 10 runs.

Keshav Maharaj came on to bowl at the end, and it went awry. Cole McConchie advanced on him to hit the first ball for six and then Josh Clarkson plundered 16 runs off the four deliveries. Maharaj’s plan to go wide of the stumps didn’t work as Clarkson chased it and finished unbeaten on 26* off nine balls. What may irk Maharaj most is that he had another option. Wiaan Mulder, playing a T20I for the first time since September 2024, bowled two overs for 14 runs and could have had one towards the end of the innings. South Africa conceded 42 runs in the last three overs.

New Zealand’s hat-trick of early strikes

South Africa were off to a solid start on 24 without loss after the first three overs but then trouble struck. In the fifth over, Connor Esterhuizen thought he had carved Sears in front of backward point, but Tim Robinson timed his jump well to take a good catch. In the next over, Mulder, opening for the first time in T20Is, worked his way to 16 off 20 balls before he also tried to cut but was beaten by turn and bounce from Mitchell Santer and caught in the covers. With both openers dismissed early, South Africa would have been looking for a big performance from Tony de Zorzi, the No.3 who was originally part of the T20 World Cup squad. But the left-hander fell victim to the McConchie curse (remember he dismissed Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in the T20 World Cup semi-final?) and top-edged a sweep to short fine. South Africa were 31 for 3 in the seventh over.

Santner gets Smith again and Sears steals the show

It’s gone from tough to tougher for finisher Jason Smith, who has been dismissed by New Zealand’s captain in successive matches. Smith was stumped for 10 in the first T20I off Santner’s bowling, as he lunged forward, and this time was caught for 12 as he top-edged a sweep. Smith handed a simple catch to Sears at short fine and will be concerned with his lack of runs on the tour so far. Sensing an opportunity to finish things off quickly, Santner brought Sears back on to replace and kill the game. Sears responded to plan and used the short ball well. He had both Dian Forrester and Gerald Coetzee caught on the pull to leave South Africa 91 for 7 after 13 overs and the game all but over. South Africa were bowled out in the 16th over.

Brief scores:
New Zealand 175 for 6 in 20 overs  (Devon Conway 60, Tom Latham 11, Nick Kelly 21,  Mitchell Santner 20, Cole McConchie 18*, Josh Clarkson 26*; Gerald Coetzee 1-28, Otnell Baartman 1-31, Keshav Maharaj 1-45, George Linde 1-33, Wiaan Mulder 2-14) beat South Africa 107 in 15.3 overs  (Wiaan Mulder 16, Rubin Hermann 19,  Jason Smith 12, Dian Forester   10, George Linde 33;  Ben Sears 3-14, Lockie Ferguson 3-16, Mitchell Santner 2-19, Cole McConchie 1-24, James Neesham 1-10) by 68 runs

[Cricinfo]