Inexperience no excuse for Proteas, says Maharaj

New Zealand took a 2-1 lead in their ongoing five-match T20I series with an eight-wicket victory over South Africa at Eden Park in Auckland. The hosts rode on a disciplined bowling display and a controlled chase, expertly manoeuvred by Tom Latham.

Put in to bat, South Africa never found fluency on a surface that demanded precision. Early pressure from the new-ball pair set the tone, and wickets fell at regular intervals as the visitors struggled to build partnerships.

Lockie Ferguson struck early to remove Wiaan Mulder, and the squeeze continued through the middle overs with Mitchell Santner and Ben Sears keeping the scoring in check. South Africa slipped to 62/5 at the halfway mark in the first innings, with their batters unable to counter the accuracy and subtle variations on offer.

Keshav Maharaj rued the tough start South Africa had but backed his side to bounce back in the remaining two games.

"We lost wickets early and it's tough to recover from 46 for 5. But the lower order rallied to give us some runs on the board.

"But the batting we did in the first ten overs really put us behind. We weren't adaptable enough and couldn't adjust. We are a young side, not to make excuses, but we want to take the lessons quicker. Beauty of the series is that we've still got a chance to make a comeback."

A brief lower-order counterattack, led by Gerald Coetzee and Nqobani Mokoena, lifted the total slightly, but the visitors could only manage 136/9 in their 20 overs. Santner, Sears and Jamieson shared six wickets between them, underlining New Zealand’s all-round bowling effort.

In reply, New Zealand approached the chase with calm authority. Devon Conway provided early momentum with a brisk 39 off 26 balls, negotiating the new ball before opening up against the spinners.

Once Conway departed, Tom Latham took complete control of the innings. Mixing caution with timely aggression, he anchored the chase with an unbeaten 63, ensuring there were no late stumbles. His measured approach allowed New Zealand to absorb pressure early before accelerating through the latter half of the innings.

The hosts reached the target in 16.2 overs, sealing a comfortable win with nearly four overs to spare and taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

"There was a good amount of seam, bounce. You look at the depth in our fast bowling, you see, Sears and Jamieson, it was a simple blueprint today: try to whack the wicket with some cutters as well as some slower balls. Neesham's three overs were also massive for us," said the winning captain, Mitchell Santner.

Having bounced back strongly after the opening defeat, New Zealand now hold the momentum heading into the final two matches, while South Africa will need a sharper batting performance to stay alive in the series.

The series had been evenly poised heading into this contest, with both sides trading blows in the opening two matches. South African bowlers ran the show in the first match bowling out New Zealand for just 91 before making easy work of the chase.

The New Zealand batters responded in the second game setting South Africa a target of 176 before dominating with the ball to secure a 68-run victory and level the series.

The fourth T20I of the series is set to take place in Wellington on Sunday.