South Africa produced a dominant all round performance to beat Zimbabwe in the tri series final in Windhoek, despite entering the contest without Lhuan dre Pretorius and losing Andile Simelane to injury. Bjorn Fortuin won the toss and elected to bat first, with South Africa turning to Connor Esterhuizen and Jordan Hermann to provide the platform after Pretorius was ruled out with a niggle. The decision paid off immediately.
Esterhuizen and Jordan Hermann attacked the Zimbabwean bowling from the outset, finding the boundary regularly and putting the Proteas firmly in control during the opening Powerplay. Jordan took particular responsibility for the scoring and South Africa reached 67 without loss after six overs. Most of Zimbabwe’s bowlers struggled to contain the South African openers, with Blessing Muzarabani the notable exception.
Jordan brought up his maiden T20I half century from just 24 deliveries, but Zimbabwe finally found a breakthrough in the eighth over when Newman Nyamhuri removed Esterhuizen for 32, leaving South Africa 84 for one. Jordan followed soon afterwards, dismissed by Brad Evans after Ryan Burl produced a stunning catch to end his innings.
Zimbabwe briefly appeared to have regained control, but South Africa still had Dewald Brevis at the crease. Brevis had opened the tournament with consecutive scores of 75 and looked capable of taking the game away from Zimbabwe once again.
With Rubin Hermann alongside him, Brevis kept the scoreboard moving through the middle overs. The pair smashed 17 runs from the 15th over to push South Africa’s scoring rate to 10 runs an over. A total of 200 appeared within reach as the Proteas entered the closing stages, but Evans struck again in the 17th over to remove Brevis for 32 just as the batter was beginning to accelerate. Nyamhuri then dismissed Rubin for 27 early in the following over, leaving South Africa’s lower order with the responsibility of pushing the total beyond the 200 mark. They succeeded, with South Africa finishing on 205 for five. Muzarabani was Zimbabwe’s most economical bowler, conceding just 25 runs from his four overs. Evans finished with two wickets for 36 runs, while Nyamhuri claimed two for 51.
Zimbabwe’s chase got off to the worst possible start. Ben Curran was dismissed for a first ball duck by Eathan Bosch, setting the tone for a difficult innings. Bosch and Duan Jansen then tore through Zimbabwe’s top and middle order, leaving the Chevrons four wickets down by the fifth over. Captain Sikandar Raza was also given an early scare. He appeared to have been caught by Eathan off the second bouncer of the over, but the dismissal was overturned after the delivery was ruled a no ball.
The reprieve did little to change Zimbabwe’s fortunes. By the end of the Powerplay, Zimbabwe needed 160 runs from 84 deliveries, leaving them with an enormous task. South Africa’s spinners then tightened the grip, with Prenelan Subrayen and Fortuin making life increasingly difficult for the Zimbabwean batters. Fortuin removed Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani and Raza in quick succession, finishing with excellent figures of three for 24.
With the required run rate rapidly spiralling out of control and Zimbabwe reduced to their final two wickets, the result appeared almost inevitable. Brad Evans and Kundai Matigimu refused to surrender, however. The pair produced a spirited ninth wicket partnership worth 52 runs from just 28 deliveries, briefly giving Zimbabwe’s chase some life. Their resistance eventually ended when Kwena Maphaka dismissed Matigimu.
Evans continued to fight on and reached his maiden T20I half century in memorable fashion, bringing up the milestone with a six. His effort could not prevent the inevitable, though, as Zimbabwe’s innings ended in the 18th over.
Duan Jansen finished with three wickets for 38 runs, while Bosch claimed two for 22 as South Africa completed a convincing victory. Jordan Hermann was named Player of the Match after his explosive contribution at the top of the order, while Brevis was recognised as Player of the Series. The final brought an entertaining tri series to a close, with all three teams managing to claim at least one victory during the tournament.
Namibia caused an early upset by defeating South Africa in the tournament opener, but the Proteas responded strongly by beating Zimbabwe in consecutive matches to strengthen their chances of reaching the final. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, kept their hopes alive by overcoming Namibia twice. The race for the final ultimately went down to the final match of the round robin stage, when South Africa edged Namibia by 11 runs to secure their place in the title decider against Zimbabwe.
The series carried added significance as it brought together the three co hosts of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, with the matches being played at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek. The venue is also scheduled to host matches during the 2027 World Cup, giving the tournament additional importance as the three nations continue their preparations for the global event.
South Africa will remain in Namibia for a three match bilateral series, with Fortuin again set to captain the Proteas.
