New Zealand secured a convincing seven-wicket victory against South Africa in their Zimbabwe Twenty20 tri-series match at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.After being sent to bat first, South Africa managed to score only 134 for eight in their allocated 20 overs.New Zealand’s Tim Seifert led the chase with an unbeaten 66, guiding the Black Caps to victory with 25 balls remaining.The Black Caps maintained their perfect record in the tournament, having previously defeated the Proteas by 21 runs in their first encounter. They will face South Africa again in Saturday’s final at the same venue.Despite losing only one wicket, South Africa struggled in the early overs, scoring just 18 runs in the first five overs.“The way we bowled in the power play was outstanding,” said New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner.“Our bowlers found a length and found some swing and we were able to squeeze from there,” said Santner.The New Zealand bowling attack proved effective, with Jacob Duffy and Adam Milne claiming two wickets each, while Zachary Foulkes bowled economically, conceding just 12 runs in three overs.South Africa’s strategy of fielding multiple spin bowlers backfired in the opening over bowled by George Linde.Linde’s first over was costly, beginning with two wides, including one that went for a boundary. Additionally, Seifert was dropped at long-off before scoring, resulting in 15 runs from the over.The opening partnership of Seifert and Devon Conway (19) quickly reached 50 runs in five overs, establishing New Zealand’s dominance for the remainder of the match.
