New Zealand beats South Africa in the fourth T20I to win the series

March 22, 2026

Wellington: Jess Kerr’s brilliant bowling, Sophie Devine’s match-winning innings, and captain Amelia Kerr’s all-round performance helped New Zealand defeat South Africa by six wickets in the fourth match of the five-match T20I series played at Sky Stadium.

With this victory, the hosts won the series 3-1 with one match remaining.

South Africa scored 159 runs
Batting first, South Africa posted 159/6 in 20 overs. Anneri Dirksen scored an unbeaten 55 off 32 balls to lead the team to a strong total.

Brilliant bowling by Jess Kerr
Jess Kerr performed brilliantly for New Zealand, taking three crucial wickets, significantly impacting South Africa’s run rate.

Devine’s explosive innings
Chasing the target, New Zealand lost a wicket early, but Georgia Plimer (29) and Amelia Kerr (31) steadied the innings. Sophie Devine then played a powerful innings of 64 runs off 34 balls to bring the team close to victory.

In the end, Maddy Green and Brooke Halliday calmly closed out the match, taking the team to 160/4 in 18.3 overs.

3-1 series win
Chloe Tryon took two wickets for South Africa, but could not save the team from defeat. New Zealand won by six wickets and won the series 3-1.

Brief Scores: South Africa 159/6 (20 overs)
New Zealand 160/4 (18.3 overs) – New Zealand won by 6 wickets.