Match 24 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup on Saturday sees South Africa play their third group match against New Zealand.
The Proteas took care of business in their first match, beating a plucky Canada side by 57 runs. They are second on the log behind New Zealand on Net Run Rate, with both the Proteas and the Black Caps having won two from two so far. The top two teams from Group D qualify for the Super 8s. South Africa’s remaining group game is against the UAE on Tuesday.
Here is a look ahead at the contest.
South Africa vs New Zealand Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
South Africa vs New Zealand Date: Saturday, February 14
South Africa vs New Zealand Odds:
History
South Africa’s second Group D match against Afghanistan was one of the most thrilling in the history of the T20 World Cup.
South Africa were put in to bat by Afghanistan, making 187 with a 28-ball 61 from Ryan Rickelton the highlight. The Afghanistan chase was led by a masterful 84 from 42 balls by Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Afghanistan needed 13 runs from the final over and were helped out by two no-balls from bowler Kagiso Rabada. The swing in Afghanistan’s favor saw them needing just two from three balls, but a runout ended the threat and sent the match to the Super Over.
The two sides couldn’t be separated in the first super over either, as both scored 17 runs. In the second super over, David Miller went off with 16 from four balls to help South Africa post 23. Afghanistan rallied before falling just short, with their second super over going for 19.
It is easy to feel sorry for Afghanistan. They are a talented team, but with back-to-back defeats to South Africa and New Zealand to open their World Cup campaign, they are all but eliminated from the tournament.
South Africa
If we are being honest, this is as low-stakes a clash as it could be. The series of events that would have to happen for either side not to qualify from Group D is astonishingly low, including the loser here losing to either Canada (New Zealand) or the UAE (South Africa) in their final group game.
Lungi Ngidi has been the biggest threat with the ball for the Proteas. He has seven wickets in two matches, and he will be an important part of South Africa’s strategy for dealing with the top of the New Zealand order.
New Zealand
New Zealand enjoyed a dominant 10-wicket win over the UAE in their last match. The result massively boosted their NNR, with openers Tim Seifert (89) and Finn Allen (84) both unbeaten when the black caps reached their target of 174 with almost five full overs to spare. These are two batsmen in fine form, and they will give the Proteas issues.
Best Bets
South Africa has won seven of 11 T20I matches against the other side. They have also never lost to the Black Caps in a T20 World Cup. This could be a preview of an elimination match further down the line, with both sides vying for the trophy. As such, laying down a marker will be important even with not much on the line in terms of getting out of Group D.
This is a fascinating clash. Slide the way of the over on totals if South Africa bats first, as the lineup is explosive and knows that it will need to put up a big total with Allen and Deifert waiting in the wings. South Africa edges this.
