By Editor 
Few rivalries rival South Africa-New Zealand as one of cricket’s great controversies, from last-ball thrillers to tactical Test battles – this rivalry has it all!
Years of competition cricket and key moments have cemented this rivalry, often featuring in high-pressure tournaments like World Cups. South Africa brings their trademark flair and exceptional performances while New Zealand maintains composure under pressure to create riveting contests which often come down to the last ball.
The new zealand national cricket team vs south africa national cricket team timeline highlights these unforgettable clashes that shaped cricket history.
| # | Date | Format | Venue | Winner | Result / Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 March 2025 | ODI (Champions Trophy Semi-Final) | Lahore (Gaddafi Stadium) | New Zealand | Won by 50 runs (ESPN Cricinfo) |
| 2 | 10 February 2025 | ODI | Lahore | New Zealand | Won by 6 wickets (CricketLedger) |
| 3 | 13–16 February 2024 | Test | Hamilton (Seddon Park) | New Zealand | Won by 7 wickets (ESPN.com) |
| 4 | 4–8 February 2024 | Test | Mount Maunganui (Bay Oval) | New Zealand | Won by 281 runs (CricketLedger) |
| 5 | 1 November 2023 | ODI (World Cup) | Pune | South Africa | Won by 190 runs (CricketLedger) |
Tests
New Zealand’s national cricket team stands as an inspiring example of a small nation which has earned an outstanding international standing. Playing various formats and having won several trophies over time, New Zealand is an outstanding representation of how successfully small nations can build international prominence.
Success of The Blackcaps lies with their players’ commitment and love of cricket that they display on the field. A key focus for their development are younger players as well as increasing diversity within cricket itself. Furthermore, South Africa and The Blackcaps enjoy a longstanding rivalry.
New Zealand excelled during the early era of one-day cricket by adopting an attacking style reliant on teamwork, solid scoring and defensive play – thus becoming known for wearing beige uniforms from 1980-1988 which became immensely popular with fans, giving rise to what became known as “Beige Brigade.”
The latest success for New Zealand cricket was their win in the two-match Tangiwai Shield series against South Africa, marking a first for them at home against them since 1953. The match held to remember those killed in an at-rail disaster killed 151 people including an avid cricket fan from New Zealand.
In one-day international cricket matches against South Africa, New Zealand has an outstanding track record against them. Over several ICC Champions Trophy encounters between these sides, they’ve met four out of six times and the Blackcaps have won four out of six times despite losing captain AB De Villiers for one game; thanks to superb bowling performances by Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner New Zealand came out victorious by seven wickets!
At the 2015 World Cup, New Zealand outwitted South Africa by four wickets in their 1st Semi-Final match, which had both sides’ batting innings affected by rain – New Zealand scored 281 runs in 43 overs to secure their spot in the final against India and secure an exciting win! Both teams displayed incredible talent during an intense encounter that showcased everything both teams could offer their opponents.
On July 26 at Harare Sports Club in Harare, South Africa and New Zealand will meet for the 2025 Tri-Series final at Harare Sports Club. Each team hopes to claim its inaugural title, while the winner will go head-to-head against India for ultimate supremacy of this tournament. It will be broadcast live by Sky Sports UK.
ODIs
New Zealand and South Africa are two of the premier teams in international cricket. Both are known for punching above their weight and have met in memorable ODI matches over time – New Zealand has won 26 ODIs while South Africa has taken 42. Furthermore, these two have competed in five ODI World Cup finals together, with South Africa winning four and New Zealand winning one; both sides boast strong rivalries as well as an extensive history of epic contests between themselves.
South Africa seemed on course for their maiden T20 victory against New Zealand until some outstanding death bowling and some spectacular catches by Jacob Duffy (replacing the injured Matt Henry). Duffy took three wickets to help New Zealand secure victory and complete a 2-1 series win.
Harare Sports Club hosted this matchup between New Zealand and South Africa as they prepared for the 2024 World Cup qualification process, and this match played a pivotal role. New Zealand currently stands in sixth position while South Africa are nineth. Whoever prevailed will qualify while any losses would leave one out of contention for qualification.
South Africa’s recent record in one-day internationals (ODIs) has been mixed, with both high points and low ones. The Proteas reached the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final before bowing out due to a rain-affected tie against New Zealand. Since then, South Africa have struggled in ODIs; perhaps victory against New Zealand can turn things around and help their performance return.
South Africa and New Zealand are each searching for their first trophy under new coaches – South Africa employs Shukri Conrad while New Zealand have appointed Rob Walter as white-ball coach in place of former white-ball coach Graeme Smith.
Walter had recently served as South Africa’s T20I coach; however, his record in bilateral series (especially ODIs ) left something to be desired; thus it will be interesting to observe their approaches during such a crucial clash.
T20Is
New Zealand cricket team has recorded 15 victories out of 17 Twenty20 Internationals it has played against South Africa since 2002 when this format first made its debut. Three bilateral series and two tournaments took place between these nations since then with New Zealand winning all but one match between them.
New Zealand edged out South Africa in a dramatic conclusion of the Tri-Series tournament on Sunday by three runs after their opponents appeared poised for a comeback. Rain shortened play to 43 overs, giving South African a chance to make up ground, but New Zealand held their nerve to claim victory by three runs.
As both AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis were unavailable, this provided the young players a chance to shine. While it presented New Zealand with a challenging task, they rose up to it by playing aggressive cricket throughout. Colin de Grandhomme and Dwaine Pretorius helped immensely by taking wickets at key moments for them.
While the Kiwis struggled at times with their bat, they overcame a slow start and amassed 289 for 6, defended it through some fine fielding and secured victory with Matt Henry’s brilliant efforts in stopping Brevis from hitting an off-side boundary and ultimately secured New Zealand an unforgettable win.
New Zealand completed their tour with a victory, following test series against Zimbabwe and three T20I series against Australia. New Zealand have an excellent track record against South Africa in both ODIs and T20Is; this victory should give them confidence heading into next month’s World Cup tournament.
New Zealand cricket team boasts some impressive names like AB de Villiers, Brevis Bekker, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor among its ranks, but due to Kane Williamson and Matt Henry being out injured they may need to make changes in order to retain some quality players like Jeetan Patel, Dwaine Pretorius or Trent Boult for example.
World Cups
South African National Cricket Team had long held an advantage against New Zealand National Cricket Team; however, recently, the Black Caps have found some success and managed to defeat some significant matches.
Recently the two sides met in a five-match T20I series where both sides put on impressive performances; Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada were key members for Proteas while Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill Colin de Grandhomme Tim Southee and Jeetan Patel played significant roles for New Zealand while Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Chris Morris Dwaine Pretorius Dwaine Pretorius
Tim Southee and Kagiso Rabada played pivotal roles for Proteas while Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill Colin de Grandhomme Tim Southee Tim Southee and Jeetan Patel played pivotal roles for Proteas respectively for New Zealand; this competition concluded five matches which resulted in both sides coming away victorious; recently they met again and put up thrilling performances by both teams involved – this time round 5 match T20I series was another competitive contest!
Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers Chris Morris Dwaine Pretorius Kagiso Rabada as key members were vital parts for both sides while Ross Taylor Martin Guptill Colin de Grandhomme Tim Southee were pivotal players on both sides. Ross Taylor Martin Guptill Colin de Grandhomme Tim Southee Tim Southee Tim Southee.
Both teams have displayed some remarkable skills at the World Cup, and this rivalry looks set to continue for some time. Future matches should prove intense and thrilling with both sides showcasing their finest abilities on the pitch – no matter who wins in the end! It will make an exciting, unforgettable contest.
New Zealand has had an outstanding track record at world cups, especially ODI tournaments. Of the six ODI world cups they’ve participated in since 1991, three have been won and four reached semi-finals; all while not enduring defeat against South Africa.
New Zealand won its inaugural ICC Knockout Trophy title against South Africa in 2000 by defeating them in a fierce final, as part of an outstanding performance that saw them overcome an initially slow start and capture first place.
At subsequent World Cup tournament, however, New Zealand struggled early but still reached semi-finals and then Pakistan in a tight match in which New Zealand triumphed by only narrow margins before ultimately taking second place overall in that tournament.
New Zealand’s World Cup success can be partially attributed to their potency with the ball, particularly their bowling attack led by Daniel Vettori, Matt Henry and Corey Anderson. Their batsmen also were adept at scoring runs and hitting big shots resulting in them amassing 269 runs in their first innings total – beating South Africa by only 8 wickets!