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Zimbabwe vs South Africa Final Full Commentary
Result · Sep 06 2026, Sun - 05:30 PM (IST)
Final, - Namibia Cricket Ground
ZIM 157/10 (18.0)
SA 205/5 (20.0)
South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 48 runs
CRR:8.72
Player Of The Match
Player Of The Series
Welcome back for Zimbabwe's response with the bat. Brian Bennett and Ben Curran are the two openers for the Chevrons. The Proteas spring out and spread to the field with Eathan Bosch given the new ball for the opening over. Bennett is on strike. Here we go again...
... THE RUN CHASE ...
Who's the favorite? Many will bet on the South Africans for sure as Zimbabwe have never ever successfully chased a target beyond 200 in T20Is. But do not count the Chevrons out just yet. A strong start is all that is needed for them. But still, that does not guarantee a win, as contributions need to come from everyone in the batting order.
Kept churning out the runs - As the ball softened up, it started gripping on the surface, and timing became a good deal harder than it had looked earlier against the new ball. Tony de Zorzi looked rusty through his brief stay and couldn't hang around long, with Zimbabwe clawing back a measure of control through Raza, who bowled a genuinely frugal spell. Even so, Zimbabwe were not quite penetrative enough, and with wickets still in hand, Brevis and Rubin had the license to attack freely once they'd got their eyes in. Another slide followed regardless, with Brevis falling first, Hermann soon after. South Africa slipped from 169/3 to a shaky 172/5, but a late cameo from Duan Jansen of 23* (14) helped them go past 200.
Motored away effortlessly - South Africa were without their centurion Pretorius, but that hardly mattered. A blistering 67-run Powerplay had them flying out of the blocks regardless. Connor Esterhuizen, riding the wave of form from his previous outing, provided the calm at one end, while Jordan Hermann played the aggressor, kicking the door down at the other with a blazing half-century. The pitch looked decent to bat on, and the seamers didn't help their own cause either, a touch too full at times and paying the price for it. A couple of quiet overs, though, triggered a mini collapse, South Africa losing both their openers in a hurry and slipping from a commanding 84/0 to 93/2, leaving two relatively new batters at the crease.
1.41 pm GMT - Finished on a high - Despite the inconsistent nature of the pitch in Windhoek, the South Africans have put themselves into a really strong position. They have managed to go past 200, which is a really good total given how difficult it has been to chase anything above 160 at this venue. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, did manage to pick wickets towards the backend, but still, they couldn't quite put on a lid on the runs, with seven overs going for double digits in the last ten overs.
A bye to end the innings. 14 runs off the over as South Africa finish on 205/5. Another off-pace delivery, there in the slot, around off. Jansen hangs deep in the crease and swings for the hills but cannot lay any bat on it. Duan is called through for a bye as the ball goes on the bounce to the keeper. Tadiwanashe Marumani lobs it towards the bowler, who turns around and has a shy at the bowling end but misses. Sikandar Raza gets around to his left and prevents a possible second run on the overthrow.
Off-cutter, on a length, on off. Duan collapses his back knee and slams it back over the bowler's head to the left of long on for a brace.
Good running. The yorker is nailed this time, on off and middle. Jansen jams it out in front of square on the leg side. The deep mid-wicket fielder is quick off the ropes but cannot prevent the second run from being taken.
DROPPED, FOUR! That should have been taken. Evans goes for the yorker but ends up with a low full toss, on off. Jansen smears it away uppishly towards backward square leg, where Innocent Kaia is inside the circle. Kaia does not pick it up straight away and is late to react. He leaps to his right and the ball clips his fingertips before going behind towards the fence. South Africa bring up their 200.
FOUR! Down the hill and into the fence. Evans misses his yorker by a small margin, on off. Jansen reaches out in front and hangs low to take the ball on the full. Smears it away through square leg and the deep mid-wicket fielder is beaten to his right.
Right in the blockhole, around the off stump. Bosch can't get under it and whips it down to long on for just a single.
Despite the four off the last ball, that was an exceptional penultimate over from Muzarabani. Righto, last over left. Brad Evans (3-0-23-2) will wrap it up. Can Zimbabwe keep the Proteas below 200? Let's find out.
FOUR! Jansen finally gets one away. Blessing takes pace off and hurls it on a good length, on off. Jansen uses his long levers and swings through the line. Hits it wide enough of the long off fielder to pick up a boundary.
Make that five dots in a row. Back to bowling the wide yorker, sneaking inside the guideline. Duan swings at it but misses.
So far, so good by Blessing Muzarabani. Off-cutter, not all that short, on off. Jansen tries to force it away on the off side but chops it down off an underedge as the ball dribbles to the left of the keeper. Four dots in a row.
On a back of a length, on off. Duan hits it on the rise but straight to extra cover.
Good change up by Blessing Muzarabani. Takes pace off and drags the length back, on off. Jansen was perhaps expecting another full ball and could not adjust to the length of the ball. He hangs his bat out and is beaten past the outside edge.
A big swing and a miss. Within the tramline, full in length. Duan flashes but can only connect with thin air.
Wide! Just beyond the tramline on off, very full. Jansen throws his hands at the ball but fails to connect.
Despite picking up a couple of big wickets, Newman Nyamhuri ends his spell on a very expensive note - 2/51 in 4 overs. South Africa are still in a decent position to breach that 200-run barrier with these two more than capable of tonking a few into the stands. Blessing Muzarabani (3-0-20-0) will bowl the penultimate over.
FOUR! Nicely done. Pitches it up, on middle and leg. Bosch is quick to get the front leg out of the way and he whips it well wide to the right of the man at deep mid-wicket for a four. 15 runs off the over.
Tries the slower one but it comes out as a low full toss, on off, Eathan cracks it away wide of deep extra cover for a couple of runs.
A well-executed yorker, on off. Duan hits it down to long off for a run.
FOUR! Gets it away. Newman gets the yorker wrong and it comes out as a full toss, on leg. Jansen swats it away behind square leg for a boundary.
Good cricket all around. Newman gets the yorker in, on off. Jansen hurriedly gets his bat down and squeezes it out in front of long off. By the time Sikandar Raza can get in off the ropes, the batters charge back for the second run.
Wide! Drifts beyond the tramline. Duan initially looks to go after it but then bails out.
Another mini-collapse for South Africa - from 169/3 to 172/5 - losing both the set batters. Two new batters at the crease, with 17 balls remaining in the first innings. Zimbabwe have a big opportunity to keep the Proteas below 200. Duan Jansen is in at number 7.
OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Rubin Hermann stands there in absolute disbelief, unhappy with the umpire's decision. Rub of the green goes Zimbabwe's way. Angled into the pads, on a good length. Hermann walks inside the line to swipe it away behind square leg, with the angle of the ball. He is beaten for pace, and the ball lobs up off his thigh pad without seemingly having made any contact with the bat or the glove. The keeper, Tadiwanashe Marumani moves to his right and snaffles it comfortably. No reviews in this tri-series and Rubin has no option but to accept the umpire's verdict.
Wide! That is a harsh call. Rubin moves across the stumps and spotting that, Newman pushes it wider on off. Hermann flashes but fails to connect. The umpire feels that it was wide anyway despite the movement by the batter.
That's a wrap - Bjorn Fortuin walks up to collect the series trophy and is soon joined by his teammates, who pose for photos with the silverware. We do not get to see too many tri-series these days, unlike in the past, but this was certainly a competitive one. If only the finale could have been fitting, but as in life, you cannot get everything. The Proteas will stay in Namibia to play a three-match ODI series starting on Wednesday, September 9, while Zimbabwe will prepare to welcome Australia for an ODI series, with the first of 3 games on Tuesday, September 15. Until next time, see you and goodbye!
PLAYER OF THE SERIES - Dewald Brevis has been given the award for his exploits with the bat in this series, scoring 226 runs at a strike rate of 166.17.
BATTER OF THE SERIES - Lhuan-dre Pretorius is the recipient of the award for scoring 226 runs from 4 innings, including a career-best 101 in the game against Namibia.
BOWLER OF THE SERIES - Duan Jansen takes home the award for picking up 11 wickets in the series.
The skipper of South Africa - Bjorn Fortuin says it's a very good way to end the series. Reflects that different guys stepped up in different situations, which was pleasing to see. Credits the way Jordan Hermann contributed with the bat in the finale. He hopes the side gets to spend more time together going forward, stressing that the goal is to avoid becoming a team overly reliant on just two or three individuals.
The captain of Zimbabwe - Sikandar Raza says it has been an overall good outing to be here in Namibia and play good cricket. However, he feels that they took 2 steps forward and then 1 step back over the course of this series, and that hurts. He says they missed out on a lot, adding that South Africa showed them how to bowl on the surface. Mentions that the lower order has been scoring a lot and taking them to respectable totals, but that is not enough. He adds that the top and middle order need to do their job as well.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - For his crucial knock of 53 runs off 29 balls, Jordan Hermann wins the award. Jordan says it was a very good performance by the team overall, and they are all chuffed. When asked about sharing the stage with his brother Rubin, he says the two always wish the best for one another, adding that it's never been a competition between them. Further adds that he is simply glad to see his brother perform well alongside him.
Time for the presentation ceremony...
No Lhuan-dre Pretorius? No problem, said Jordan Hermann, who made the most of the opportunity to move up the order in Pretorius’ absence, bringing up a maiden T20I half-century. An 84-run opening stand set the Proteas innings up nicely. Despite Zimbabwe managing to strike through the middle phase, the South African innings never really veered off track and ended on 205, thanks to valuable contributions from the likes of Dewald Brevis, Rubin Hermann and Duan Jansen.
A lone fight from Evans - In their pursuit of 206 for the win, Zimbabwe could not have had a worse start, with Duan Jansen and Eathan Bosch ripping through the top order. You don't win many games after losing 4 wickets in the Powerplay, but over the course of this series, we have seen that if you hang in there and take the game deep, you can make a fight of it. Neither Ryan Burl nor Sikandar Raza could take the fight deep, leaving Brad Evans with far too much to do on his own. He fought all the way to the end, but simply did not have the support needed to conjure up something special.
Tri-series triumph for the Proteas - A second-string South African side came into the series with plenty to prove, but had enough quality to go all the way. It was an inauspicious start, with a defeat to Namibia, but the side led by Bjorn Fortuin picked themselves up from there and went on to lift the trophy. Zimbabwe showed they were capable of competing, having their moments with both bat and ball throughout the series, but lacked the consistency to turn those moments into results.
OUT! CAUGHT! And it's all over. SOUTH AFRICA WIN THE TRI-SERIES. They beat Zimbabwe by 48 runs! Length ball, angling away, and Muzarabani goes hunting for the big shot once more, playing it across the line. This time the bat face turns at the point of contact, and the ball balloons off the leading edge, high into the sky toward cover. Bjorn Fortuin at extra cover calls for the catch, sees the ball like a hawk and settles under it to take a fine catch. Jubilation in the South African camp as they have kept their unbeaten record against Zimbabwe intact in T20Is.
Duan bowls it full and outside off, Brad Evans shuffles across and plants his back knee into the pitch to play the lap shot but chips it over mid-wicket for a single.
FOUR! Blazed away into the gap! 150 up for Zimbabwe. Full and outside off, Brad Evans brings his bottom hand to play and crunches it through deep extra cover, beating long off to his left for a boundary.
SIX! Connects, and connects so well. FIFTY FOR BRAD EVANS! That's his maiden T20I half-century. He has been one of the bright spots for Zimbabwe in this tri-series and is enjoying himself out there. Into the slot, on middle, Brad Evans gets his front leg out of the way and absolutely carts it over deep mid-wicket for a cracking six.
FIVE WIDES! Untidy by Connor Esterhuizen. Takes pace off, on a back of a length, pushed across the right-hander. Evans lets it pass. The ball bounces in front of Connor Esterhuizen and nutmegs him before racing past short third.
Nails the yorker, around off. Blessing hangs deep in the crease and has a big swing at it. Ekes out an inside edge onto the pads and it rolls away on the off side for a single.
SIX! High and handsome from Blessing! Juicy full toss from Jansen, on off. Muzarabani takes it on the full and, with a high elbow extension, he dumps it behind long on for a six. He holds his pose after playing the shot and that brings about a loud cheer from the Zimbabwean faithful in the stadium.
Duan Jansen is back.
Wide yorker, on the off side, Brad Evans looks to go big downtown, but can only squeeze it back to the bowler.
Nails the yorker in, does Maphaka. Brad Evans looks to work it across, but gets an inside edge onto the front pad.
Swing and a miss! Short and slanted down leg, Brad Evans swings for pull but misses to connect. Surprisingly, it is not called a wide. May have brushed something on its way to the keeper.
Full and slow, on the off stump. Muzarabani eases it in front of point with soft hands and they amble across for a run.
Toe-crushing yorker from around the stump, angling in and around leg. Blessing Muzarabani's head falls over while trying the flick but gets a leading edge and the ball rolls to the off side.
Blessing Muzarabani is the last man in.
OUT! HIGH UP AND CAUGHT BEHIND! Maphaka breaks an entertaining partnership for the ninth wicket. Coming around the wicket, Maphaka angles this one into the batter, rolling his fingers over the ball. Matigimu goes for the big hoick but can only get a top edge, and the keeper, Connor Esterhuizen, does the rest, backpedalling a touch before completing a tidy catch. South Africa are on the verge of triumphing in the finale. Zimbabwe are 133/9.
Kwena Maphaka (1-0-8-0) comes back.
FOUR! This is now Brad Evans' highest T20I score. It also brings up the 50-run partnership between Evans and Kundai. Serves it on a fuller length, on the leg stump. Brad Evans gets down on a knee and nails the sweep shot over the square leg fielder, and finds the gap for a boundary.
Overpitched on leg, Kundai Matigimu drills it to long on for a single.
SIX! Clears the ropes once again! Full now from Subrayen, on the off stump, Kundai Matigimu gets on the front foot, and pumps it high over long on for six more.