Updated on: Mar 15, 2026 11:07:25 AM IST
Summary
NZ vs SA 1st T20I LIVE Score: New Zealand face South Africa in the first of the five match series.
Aiden Markram and Mitchell Santner during the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final.
NZ vs SA 1st T20I LIVE Score: New Zealand and South Africa are back in T20I action less than a fortnight after a World Cup that left both with very different kinds of regret, and that is what gives this five-match series in New Zealand an edge far beyond the usual bilateral routine. The first game at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, tonight is not just the start of another short-format contest; it is the beginning of a reset.
New Zealand arrive carrying the sting of a heavy defeat to India in the final, but also with proof that they were good enough to knock South Africa out in the semifinal on the way there. South Africa, meanwhile, turn up with fresher faces, a new immediate mission, and the memory of a campaign that had promised so much before collapsing badly at the sharp end. The timing makes this series fascinating: it comes right on the heels of the T20 World Cup, yet already feels like the first step toward the next cycle, with both teams reshaping combinations and testing depth rather than simply replaying what came before.
New Zealand have named a squad led by Mitchell Santner for the opening part of the series, while South Africa are being captained by Keshav Maharaj in a group that has only a limited carryover from the World Cup squad. New Zealand’s squad includes names such as Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi, though not all of their regulars are part of this series, while South Africa have arrived with a newer-looking T20 group featuring Tony de Zorzi, Jason Smith, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Ottneil Baartman and Maharaj.
That leaves tonight’s contest sitting at an interesting intersection: New Zealand still have more continuity and home familiarity, South Africa perhaps have less baggage on the field but more to prove as a system. For both sides, this is about more than one result. It is about response, reinvention and rhythm — and about which team can move on quicker from what happened in the World Cup when the lights come on in Mount Maunganui tonight.
Squads:
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Jason Smith, Jordan Hermann, George Linde, Wiaan Mulder, Connor Esterhuizen(wicketkeeper), Prenelan Subrayen, Dian Forrester, Gerald Coetzee, Ottneil Baartman, Keshav Maharaj (captain), Lutho Sipamla, Rubin Hermann, Andile Simelane, Nqobani Mokoena.
New Zealand: Devon Conway(wicketkeeper), Tim Robinson, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Santner (captain), Bevon Jacobs, Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Cole McConchie, Dane Cleaver, Nick Kelly, Ben Sears, Katene D Clarke, Jayden Lennox, Zakary Foulkes
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New Zealand arrive carrying the sting of a heavy defeat to India in the final, but also with proof that they were good enough to knock South Africa out in the semifinal on the way there. South Africa, meanwhile, turn up with fresher faces, a new immediate mission, and the memory of a campaign that had promised so much before collapsing badly at the sharp end. The timing makes this series fascinating: it comes right on the heels of the T20 World Cup, yet already feels like the first step toward the next cycle, with both teams reshaping combinations and testing depth rather than simply replaying what came before.
New Zealand have named a squad led by Mitchell Santner for the opening part of the series, while South Africa are being captained by Keshav Maharaj in a group that has only a limited carryover from the World Cup squad. New Zealand’s squad includes names such as Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi, though not all of their regulars are part of this series, while South Africa have arrived with a newer-looking T20 group featuring Tony de Zorzi, Jason Smith, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Ottneil Baartman and Maharaj.
That leaves tonight’s contest sitting at an interesting intersection: New Zealand still have more continuity and home familiarity, South Africa perhaps have less baggage on the field but more to prove as a system. For both sides, this is about more than one result. It is about response, reinvention and rhythm — and about which team can move on quicker from what happened in the World Cup when the lights come on in Mount Maunganui tonight.
Squads:
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Jason Smith, Jordan Hermann, George Linde, Wiaan Mulder, Connor Esterhuizen(wicketkeeper), Prenelan Subrayen, Dian Forrester, Gerald Coetzee, Ottneil Baartman, Keshav Maharaj (captain), Lutho Sipamla, Rubin Hermann, Andile Simelane, Nqobani Mokoena.
New Zealand: Devon Conway(wicketkeeper), Tim Robinson, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Santner (captain), Bevon Jacobs, Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Cole McConchie, Dane Cleaver, Nick Kelly, Ben Sears, Katene D Clarke, Jayden Lennox, Zakary Foulkes
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Mar 15, 2026 11:07:24 AM IST
NZ vs SA 1st T20I LIVE Score: How the last NZ vs SA T20I panned out
NZ vs SA 1st T20I LIVE Score: The last time these sides met, New Zealand crushed South Africa in the 2026 T20 World Cup semifinal at Eden Gardens. South Africa posted 169/8, with Marco Jansen top scoring with 55*, but New Zealand made a mockery of the chase. Finn Allenn blasted an unbeaten 100 off 33 balls, Tim Seifer smashed 58, and New Zealand stormed to 173/1 in just 12.5 overs to win by nine wickets with 43 balls left. It was one of the most brutal knockout chases of the tournament history – and exactly the kind of meomry South Africa would love to overwrite tonight.
Mar 15, 2026 10:40:48 AM IST
NZ vs SA 1st T20I LIVE Score: Semifinal ghosts, new cycle begins at Bay Oval
NZ vs SA 1st T20I LIVE Score: Less than a fortnight after their T20 World Cup semifinal meeting, New Zealand and South Africa are back at it, this time to open a five-match T20I series at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. New Zealand, beaten by India in the final, begin a fresh cycle under Mitchell Santner, who will lead the first three games, while South Africa arrive looking to move on quickly from that knockout loss and test new options of their own.
