New Zealand vs South Africa, Live Score and Commentary, NZ vs SA, 15 March, 2026
COMPLETED / 1st T20I / Bay Oval
91/10 (14.3 ov)
93/3 (16.4 ov)
South Africa won by 7 wickets
Recent
Player of the match
Nqobani Mokoena,
South Africa
| Batting | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Esterhuizen | 45 | 48 | 2 | 2 | 93.75 |
| Dian Forrester | 16 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 64.00 |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECO |
| Kyle Jamieson | 3.4 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 7.64 |
| Ben Sears | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 5.33 |
South Africa won by 7 wickets
New Zealand vs South Africa, Live Cricket Commentary
Recent Performance (Last 5 Matches)
| Opponent | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa (NZ won by 68 runs) | 2nd T20I | 17 Mar 2026 |
| South Africa (SA won by 7 wickets) | 1st T20I | 15 Mar 2026 |
| India (IND won by 96 runs) | Final | 8 Mar 2026 |
| South Africa (NZ won by 9 wickets) | 1st Semi-Final | 4 Mar 2026 |
| England (ENG won by 4 wickets) | Super 8 Group 2 (Y1 v Y2) | 27 Feb 2026 |
| Opponent | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (NZ won by 68 runs) | 2nd T20I | 17 Mar 2026 |
| New Zealand (SA won by 7 wickets) | 1st T20I | 15 Mar 2026 |
| New Zealand (NZ won by 9 wickets) | 1st Semi-Final | 4 Mar 2026 |
| Zimbabwe (SA won by 5 wickets) | Super 8 Group 1 (X2 v X4) | 1 Mar 2026 |
| West Indies (SA won by 9 wickets) | Super 8 Group 1 (X3 v X4) | 26 Feb 2026 |
Key Stats
- Partnership: 38 run (7.4 ov): Dian Forrester: 16 (25), Connor Esterhuizen: 20 (21)
- Last Bat: Jason Smith 10(14) - st T Latham b M Santner Mitchell Santner
- Fall of Wickets: 7 - 1 Tony de Zorzi, 28 - 2 Rubin Hermann, 55 - 3 Jason Smith
- Reviews Remaining: South Africa - 2 of 2, New Zealand - 1 of 2
- Toss: New Zealand elected to bat
Match Info
- Match: 1st T20I
- Series: New Zealand vs South Africa
- Date: Sunday, March 15, 2026
- Time: 11:45 AM
- Venue: Bay Oval
- City: Mount Maunganui
- Umpires: Chris Brown (New Zealand), Wayne Knights (New Zealand), Kim Cotton (New Zealand, TV)
- Referee: Dave Gilbert (Australia)
Cole McConchie to Connor Esterhuizen, 1 run, Connor Esterhuizen goes back and plays a well-timed push off an top spinner delivers at a good length by the bowler, but the ball lands safely in the hands of the fielder at deep square leg for 1 run.
Cole McConchie to Dian Forrester, 1 run, Dian Forrester goes back to take off break ball of good length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident cut that sent the ball sailing towards deep point for 1 run.
Cole McConchie to Connor Esterhuizen, 2 runs, Connor Esterhuizen hangs in the crease to take top spinner of full length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident inside out shot that sent the ball sailing towards deep mid wicket for 2 runs.
End of over 13 (7 runs)
Mitchell Santner to Dian Forrester, no run, Dot ball !! off break ball, good length, on the stumps, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease and slash push towards short mid wicket, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away. Dropped catch
Mitchell Santner to Dian Forrester, no run, Dot ball !! arm ball, good length, on the stumps, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease, trying to hit defensive shot, but the ball shapes away late, beats the bat.
Mitchell Santner to Dian Forrester, no run, Dot ball !! off break ball, full length, on the off stump, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease and slash reverse sweep towards point, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Mitchell Santner to Dian Forrester, no run, Dot ball !! off break ball, good length, on the leg stump, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease, trying to hit reverse sweep, but the ball shapes away late, beats the bat.
Mitchell Santner to Dian Forrester, 1 run, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease to take off break ball of good length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident push that sent the ball sailing towards long on for 1 run.
Mitchell Santner to Connor Esterhuizen, no run, Dot ball !! off break ball, full length, on the off stump, Connor Esterhuizen hangs in the crease and slash push towards square leg, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
End of over 14 (1 runs)
Cole McConchie to Dian Forrester, no run, Dot ball !! off break ball, good length, on the off stump, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease and slash defensive shot towards point, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Cole McConchie to Dian Forrester, 1 run, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease and plays a well-timed drive off an off break ball delivers at a full length by the bowler, but the ball lands safely in the hands of the fielder at long off for 1 run.
Cole McConchie to Connor Esterhuizen, no run, Dot ball !! off break ball, good length, on the stumps, Connor Esterhuizen hangs in the crease and slash flick shot towards square leg, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Cole McConchie to Connor Esterhuizen, no run, Dot ball !! off break ball, full length, on the off stump, Connor Esterhuizen goes forward and slash drive towards mid off, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Cole McConchie to Connor Esterhuizen, 1 run, Connor Esterhuizen hangs in the crease to take off break ball of good length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident drive that sent the ball sailing towards long on for 1 run.
Cole McConchie to Dian Forrester, no run, Dot ball !! off break ball, full length, on the off stump, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease and slash drive towards short cover, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
End of over 15 (2 runs)
Ben Sears to Connor Esterhuizen, 1 run, Connor Esterhuizen hangs in the crease to take fast ball of good length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident push that sent the ball sailing towards mid on for 1 run.
Ben Sears to Dian Forrester, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, good length, on the stumps, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease and slash defensive shot towards mid off, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Ben Sears to Dian Forrester, no run, Dot ball !! outswinger, good length, on the stumps, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease and slash defensive shot towards slip, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Ben Sears to Dian Forrester, Four, Four !! fast ball, full length, on the off stump. Dian Forrester hangs in the crease, hits drive in the gap towards deep cover, and ball finds the ropes in a flash for four.
Ben Sears to Dian Forrester, 1 wide, bouncer, back of length, on the leg stump, An attempted bouncer misses the mark and sails high over Dian Forrester's head, Umpire Calls it a wide.
Ben Sears to Dian Forrester, 1 run, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease to take fast ball of good length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident cut that sent the ball sailing towards deep point for 1 run.
Ben Sears to Connor Esterhuizen, no run, Dot Ball !! fast ball, good length, on the off stump, and Connor Esterhuizen hangs on and tries to hit cut, but misses it completely as ball beats the bat, goes to the keeper.
End of over 16 (7 runs)
Kyle Jamieson to Dian Forrester, 1 run, Dian Forrester hangs in the crease to take outswinger of good length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident defensive shot that sent the ball sailing towards deep point for 1 run.
Kyle Jamieson to Connor Esterhuizen, 1 no ball, No ball !! slower ball, fulltoss, on the off stump, Connor Esterhuizen goes forward to make a room for himself, but left it alone for the keeper to collect at the last moment. Umpire signals it a no ball.
Kyle Jamieson to Connor Esterhuizen, 2 runs, Connor Esterhuizen hangs in the crease and plays pull off an fast ball delivers at a full length by the bowler, edged!! and the ball lands safely in the hands of the fielder at long on for 2 runs.
Kyle Jamieson to Connor Esterhuizen, 2 runs, Connor Esterhuizen hangs in the crease to take outswinger of good length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident cut that sent the ball sailing towards deep cover for 2 runs.
Kyle Jamieson to Connor Esterhuizen, Six, Six !! With a brilliant inswinger on the stumps, Connor Esterhuizen goes back and showcases power-hitting prowess as batter unleashes a spectacular pull to deep square leg for a colossal Maximum!