South Africa will be locking horns against New Zealand in the second semifinal of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The game will be played on Wednesday (March 5) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
South Africa are unbeaten in the tournament and finished the group stage at the top of the points table. They began their campaign with a 107-run win over Afghanistan. Their second game against Australia was washed out before they thrashed England by 7 wickets to storm into the semifinals.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have won two and lost one game in the ongoing competition. The Black Caps began their campaign with a 60-run win over hosts and defending champions Pakistan. In their second game, they thrashed Bangladesh by 5 wickets.
However, New Zealand could not beat India in their final group game. The Mitchell Santner-led side was thoroughly outplayed in the game as India beat them by 44 runs.
South Africa vs New Zealand Match preview and prediction – Semifinal 2, ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
Match Overview
Match: South Africa vs New Zealand, Semifinal 2
Date & Time: 5 March 2025, 2:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Tournament: ICC Champions Trophy
South Africa vs New Zealand – Pitch & Weather Report:
The pitch at the Gaddafi Stadium is set to favour the batsmen. The pitch is expected to be flat where batsmen are expected to make merry. The bowlers, on the other hand, will have to work really hard to make an impact in the upcoming game.
Both the games that took place at the venue earlier in the ongoing tournament were high-scoring games. In the first encounter, Australia chased down 352 against England before England scored 317 runs while chasing 326 against Afghanistan.
The weather will be pleasant on the match day in Lahore. There is no prediction for rain and the game is unlikely to face any kind of major interruption. The temperature will be in early 20s in the first half of the game and will hover between 15-20 degree Celsius after sunset.
South Africa vs New Zealand – Head-to-Head Record
South Africa and New Zealand have played 73 ODIs against each other so far and the former has pretty much dominated this rivalry. The Proteas have won 42 of the 73 games that they have played against New Zealand.
On the other hand, the Black Caps have won 26 ODIs against South Africa while the other 5 games between the two teams ended in no result.
South Africa vs New Zealand – Probable Playing XIs:
South Africa Playing 11:
Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
New Zealand Playing 11:
Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke
Key Players to Watch:
South Africa:
- Ryan Rickelton
- Temba Bavuma
- Rassie van der Dussen
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Kagiso Rabada
New Zealand:
- Rachin Ravindra
- Kane Williamson
- Tom Latham
- Daryl Mitchell
- Mitchell Santner
South Africa vs New Zealand Best Batsman Prediction
Who will score the most runs for South Africa in the match: Temba Bavuma or Heinrich Klaasen
Who will score the most runs for New Zealand in the match: Rachin Ravindra or Kane Williamson
South Africa vs New Zealand Best Bowler Prediction
Who will pick the most wickets for South Africa in the match: Kagiso Rabada or Marco Jansen
Who will pick the most wickets for New Zealand in the match: Matt Henry or Mitchell Santner
Conclusion- Match Prediction:
South Africa have the winning momentum with them. They registered impressive wins over Afghanistan and England in the group stage and are expected to beat New Zealand in the upcoming semifinal.