Matt Henry held his nerve in a tense final over to help New Zealand edge past South Africa by just 3 runs in the final of the Zimbabwe Tri-Series. With South Africa needing just 7 runs off the last over, Henry delivered a brilliant spell under pressure to seal the victory.
He struck on the second delivery by dismissing Dewald Brevis, who was brilliantly caught by Michael Bracewell at deep midwicket. Corbin Bosch managed to add two runs, but on the fifth ball, George Linde was caught at long-on by Daryl Mitchell, another outstanding grab. With 4 runs needed off the final delivery, Henry took the pace off, and SenuranMuthusamy swung and missed.
Chasing 181, South Africa got off to a solid start with an opening stand of 92 runs in 9.4 overs. Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored 51, while Reeza Hendricks contributed 37. However, once the opening partnership was broken, South Africa collapsed, losing four wickets for just 39 runs, which turned the chase into a tricky task.
A 43-run partnership between Brevis (31 off 14) and Linde (10 off 10) revived South Africa’s hopes, taking the match deep. But with only 7 runs needed in the final over, Henry’s brilliance under pressure ensured a dramatic win for the Kiwis.
Earlier in the day, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra led New Zealand’s batting effort with 47 runs each, guiding the team to a competitive total of 180/5. Lungi Ngidi was South Africa’s most effective bowler, finishing with 2/24.
Matt Henry was named Player of the Match for his match-winning final over. He was also awarded Player of the Series for being the leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets. New Zealand finished the tournament unbeaten, winning all five of their matches.
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