Nothing gets better than South Africa and New Zealand facing off in the semi-final, especially when it’s the Champions Trophy 2025. This high-stake encounter will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025, from 2:30 PM IST. New Zealand will lock horns with South Africa in Semi-Final 2 of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday, March 5. Their bowling attacks are similarly matched but the difference could come in the spin department, where New Zealand look stronger.
The second semi final of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played between South Africa and New Zealand. The 1998 winners, Proteas topped the Group B with two wins and a washout while the 2000 winners finished second in the Group A with two wins and a loss. Both teams have not played at this venue during the tournament.
SA vs NZ : Previous Performances
The South African side, led by Temba Bavuma, finished first on the table after winning two of their two completed matches, while one was abandoned due to rain. They ended with five points and a healthy NRR of +2.395 to end as the leaders of Group B. Although they are in top-notch form, they might be sweating on the fitness of their regular skipper, Temba Bavuma, who missed the last game against England due to an injury where Aiden Markram led the side in an interim capacity.
They are full of confidence, with plenty of all-rounders on their side who can take the game away from the opposition in a jiffy. The return of Heinrich Klaasen has undoubtedly boosted their chances in this high-profile event. Conversely, the New Zealand team, under the leadership of Mitchell Santner, has proved to be quite effective in these conditions. They ended Group A in second position after winning two of their three matches while losing the one against the dominant Indian team.
That, at least, is a clear point of difference between the sides. As is the fact that South Africa are coming off two wins – over Afghanistan by 107 runs in Rawalpindi last Tuesday and England by seven wickets in Karachi on Saturday – having lost their three previous ODIs.
On the other hand, the South African side has made its way through to the next round of the tournament convincingly. In the group stage, the team registered two wins and one game ended without a result against Australia. The side finished with five points and is in a good space.
However, the team is struggling with some injury concerns as on the eve of the clash, George Linde was called up as the cover for star batter Aiden Markram, who injured his right hamstring in the field against England. Meanwhile, skipper Temba Bavuma and opener Tony de Zorzi have recovered in time from illness and are expected to play in the upcoming game.
New Zealand won that Tri-Nations game by six wickets with eight balls remaining, but South Africa’s XI on Wednesday will be markedly different. Of that squad of 13, only Temba Bavuma, Heinrich Klaasen, Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj are in the Champions Trophy 15. By contrast, Kyle Jamieson is the only New Zealand player in the current tournament who wasn’t also involved last month.
Kiwis qualified for the semi-finals after beating the Bangladesh and host Pakistan side from their group. As for the BlackCaps, they are coming off a loss against the Indian team by 44 runs after failing to chase down 250, where Kane Williamson was the top performer for them with 81. Meanwhile, their bowlers have been decent, especially Matt Henry, who bowled exceptionally well in the last match, picking a five-wicket haul to rock India and will be highly crucial on flat surfaces in Lahore.
The Kiwis have played a tactical brand of cricket in the prestigious event for which they are renowned. The side finished second in Group A, winning two out of three games. Their wins came against Pakistan (by 60 runs) and Bangladesh (by five wickets), respectively. Their sole defeat came at the hands of India by 44 runs in their last league game in Dubai.
However, the side will be putting that defeat behind their back and be looking forward to the upcoming game. In the Pakistan Tri-Nation Series, which was held ahead of the Champions Trophy, the Mitchell Santner-led side had faced the Proteas at this very ground and defeated them by six wickets.
Now, dating back to 2015, both these sides share a great history in semi-final games, and it will eventually be down to who performs under the pressure in this cut-throat encounter.
SA vs NZ : Head to Head
| Matches Played | 73 |
| Won by New Zealand | 43 |
| Won by South Africa | 25 |
| Tied | 00 |
| No Result | 05 |
| First-ever Fixture | February 25, 1992 |
| Most-recent Fixture | February 10, 2025 |
SA vs NZ : Pitch and Weather Report
The Gaddafi Stadium has played host to a couple of high-scoring clashes in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025. There has been even bounce on the surface, and the margin for error is very little for the bowlers. Batters can score a lot of runs if they are willing to spend time in the middle. The average first innings score is 338. The team winning the toss will be looking to bowl first.
Playing at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore means, more often than not, the side batting first will score 300-plus runs on the board. It was evident in the first two completed games played here in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, as in the first game between England and Australia, 352 was chased with ease, while in the second game between Afghanistan and England, 325 played 317.
In the third game, when rain intervened, Afghanistan were bowled out for 273, but expect that to be a one-off case as the pitch here generally is a batting paradise. Bowlers find hardly anything from the surface, apart from the last game when it swung miles in the initial overs, which is a rarity on this venue. Therefore, the team winning the toss will likely bowl first at this track, as chasing under lights is a pretty comfortable task.
In five ODIs this year, the average first innings score is 316.5 and results have been shared between the team batting first and the chasing team. It’s expected to be another belter for the batters and tough outing for bowlers. While Heinrich Klaasen mentioned some drizzle on South Africa’s arrival in the city on Monday, the forecast is mild and clear for the semi-final. No rain and a forecast high of 23 degrees Celsius. And, of course, runs – four of the five biggest totals in the tournament have been scored in Lahore.
SA vs NZ : Big Picture : Run fest awaits SA, NZ on Lahore wicket
Here we are again. South Africa and New Zealand, the two best sides to have never won a World Cup, meet in a knockout match. Both have had their hands on this trophy all the way back when it was called the ICC Knockout and possibly meant something else in terms of its significance in the global game. So make no mistake: winning this will not take away the desire for the big one but it will help to tide things over until 2027, when South Africa co-host the event with neighbours Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Quietly, South Africa know they are actually building for that but the pressure to return home with something other than disappointment is ever-present. This is another chance to change that. New Zealand, after coming so close to the trophy at the 2019 World Cup, also carry scars but somehow seem less burdened by them.
Perhaps a smaller population, with fewer socio-economic fractures that can be plastered over with sporting success helps them; maybe they’re just good at stoicism. Those are things to ponder later in the week when one of these two teams will play a final against a yet-to-be-decided opposition at a yet-to-be-decided venue. For now, they’ve both probably got the knockout they wanted.
Even their travel schedules have been similar. The New Zealanders arrived in Lahore on Monday having made the pilgrimage to Dubai to play India – the only team among the eight in the tournament allowed to not be in Pakistan – on Sunday.
The South Africans and Australia were also there. Had New Zealand won, South Africa would have played India in Tuesday’s semifinal. India’s victory, by 44 runs, meant the Aussies stayed in Dubai for Tuesday’s game. Having spent 18 hours in the Emirates neither playing nor training, South Africa travelled from there to Lahore on Monday.
It seems an age ago that New Zealand and South Africa met in an ODI, but it will be just 24 days ago when Mitchell Santner and Temba Bavuma walk out for the toss on Wednesday. And it was at the same ground to boot.
Facing each other, rather than India or Australia, appears to give them both a better chance of progressing to the final. And doing it in Pakistan, though both teams travelled from Dubai at different times on Monday, likely suits them more. Conditions are good for run-scoring and both have line-ups capable of posting big scores which suggests fans will be in for a run-fest.
Their attacks are similarly matched to the point where both were hit by injury-enforced absences amongst the quicks. Some of the more interesting narratives could be around which of the tall men – Marco Jansen and Kyle Jamieson – can extract the most with their height or which of the attacking bowlers, Kagiso Rabada or Matt Henry, has the most success.
A difference could come in the spin resources, where South Africa have chosen to operate with only one specialist in Keshav Maharaj but New Zealand have both captain Mitchell Santner and offspinner Michael Bracewell in their best XI. Maharaj had previously indicated he sees a spinners role as a more defensive one at this event so their economy rates are the numbers to watch here.
Overall, this match promises an even contest without the hype that comes with playing a big three nation even though there is plenty of history. New Zealand dumped South Africa out of both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups and though the likes of us will talk about it, it’s worth remembering that the last of those was ten years ago and much cricket has been played since.
Then, particularly for South Africa, the results seemed seismic. Now, ICC events happen annually and teams are dusting themselves off and starting again with much greater frequency. Does that mean it matters less if you lose at a crucial stage or even if you win Ask one of these two, who have both spent the best part of the last three decades trying to win a major trophy and they’re likely to say no. Only one of them will have the chance to do it this time.
SA vs NZ : In the spotlight: David Miller and Kane Williamson
No one has quite said it yet but could this be the last time 35-year-old David Miller plays in an ODI tournament for South Africa? And if so, what kind of say will he have on it? He has limited opportunity in the tournament so far. He came to bat in the 43rd over against Afghanistan only to smash the winning runs against England, but has had almost-decisive knocks in both South Africa’s previous white-ball knockout games.
At the 2023 ODI World Cup, David Miller’s century gave South Africa something to defend in the semi-final after they were reduced to 24 for 4; at the 2024 T20 World Cup, he was looking good on 21 off 17 balls before being spectacularly caught on the boundary which could have taken South Africa within touching distance of the trophy.
David Miller has shown he enjoys the big occasion and has also indicated he is taking things year by year, so chances to play in knockouts are likely becoming fewer. After all his efforts, he will want to play a role in South Africa winning one.
Kane Williamson has back-to-back ODI centuries against South Africa, albeit they were scored six years apart. He made 106* against them in Birmingham in June 2019 and 133* against them at this venue in the tri-series that preceded this tournament, though that was not against a full-strength South African side.
Overall, Kane Williamson averages 57.35 against South Africa, his best against any opposition other than Zimbabwe. Though New Zealand have a line-up of creative and crafty hitters, Kane Williamson’s role in New Zealand’s side continues to be of utmost importance as evidenced by his 81 against India in Dubai, where he kept New Zealand in the fight in what was ultimately a losing cause.
Like many of the more experienced players at this event, at 34, Kane Williamson may not get another opportunity to win an ODI trophy and will want to make the most of this one.
SA vs NZ : Vital Stats that matters
- South Africa and New Zealand have played no bilateral white-ball cricket against each other since 2017 but played each other at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups and won a game a piece and the Pakistan tri-nation series, in a match which New Zealand won. In ICC tournaments, they have met 11 times. and New Zealand have won seven of those games.
- South Africa are the only country to have qualified for the knockouts of all of the last seven ICC events – across men’s, women’s and Under-19 tournaments. That includes the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup semi-final, the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup final, the 2025 World Test Championship final, the 2024 men’s Under-19 World Cup semi-final, the 2024 women’s T20 World Cup final and the 2025 women’s Under-19 final.
- South Africa are the only country who have been represented in the knockout stages of the last seven ICC tournaments, regardless of age group or gender.
- New Zealand have won both men’s knockout games they have played against South Africa, in the 2011 and 2015 World Cups.
- Both teams have won this trophy, South Africa in 1998 and New Zealand in 2000, when it was still called the ICC Knockout.
SA vs NZ : Team News for South Africa and New Zealand
South Africa :
Openers Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi have both recovered from the illness that kept them out of the England game and are expected to be available for selection, but de Zorzi is expected to make way for Aiden Markram, who passed his fitness test on Tuesday.
George Linde has been called up as a travelling reserve. The bowling make-up – two allrounders, one specialist spinner and two quicks – is expected to be unchanged. George Linde was due to join the squad in Lahore on Tuesday night as a travelling reserve. However, Aiden Markram has been declared fit to play the game.
South Africa Probable Playing XI : Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk.), David Miller, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
New Zealand :
New Zealand’s only question will be which one of Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway or Daryl Mitchell they will leave out. Conway sat out the India match for Mitchell, who played against Pakistan but not Bangladesh. Young and Ravindra both have centuries to their names at this competition which suggests the decision is between Mitchell and Conway, who has scores of 30 and 10 from his outings in the tournament. If the choice is between Nathan Smith and Kyle Jamieson, Smith might crack the nod because of his better batting ability.
New Zealand Probable Playing XI : Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham (wk.), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke
SA vs NZ Fantasy Playing XI : Heinrich Klaasen, Ryan Rickelton, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen (vc), Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Kagiso Rabada
SA vs NZ : Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Tom Latham
New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tom Latham has been his side’s best batter so far. In the three games that he has played, Latham managed to score 187 runs and is currently the fourth-highest run scorer of the competition. The southpaw has had a good outing with the bat in the side’s first two league games, recording scores of 118* and 55 runs, respectively. For the Kiwis to reach the finals, Latham’s performance with the bat will be important.
The best performer for New Zealand in this Champions Trophy 2025 has been Tom Latham with the bat. The left-handed batter has scored 187 runs in three matches at an average of 93.50. The interesting thing about Latham is his ability to accelerate in the death overs of the game after starting a little cautiously, and he demonstrated that against Pakistan by scoring a brilliant 118* off 104 deliveries.
In the next match against Bangladesh, he played a fluent 55 to power his side to victory by five wickets. Additionally, he is a brilliant player of spin, with his sweeps and reverse sweeps coming in handy.
Probable Best Bowler: Marco Jansen
South African pacer Marco Jansen has bagged four wickets in two games so far and has been economical. The team has looked to the tall left-hander to get the job done in the league matches. The pacer will be running high in confidence after brilliant showings in the last game against England, with a spell of 3/39, which earned him the Player of the Match award. The 24-year-old will be aware of the importance of the match and will look to take his side over the line once again.
SA vs NZ : Match Prediction
Scenario 1:
- New Zealand win the toss and opt to bowl first
- PP score: 60-70
- SA: 320-330
- New Zealand win the match
Scenario 2:
- South Africa win the toss and opt to bowl first
- PP score: 50-60
- NZ: 310-320
- South Africa win the match
It will surely be tense in Lahore when both South Africa and New Zealand take the field for a place in the final of the Champions Trophy 2025. These sides will surely not give an inch to the other, and room for an error in this encounter will be marginal. Therefore, looking at the conditions and the composition of both teams, New Zealand is more likely to win this game against South Africa. Cricket enthusiasts worldwide will be glued to their screens as South Africa and New Zealand battle for glory in this high-stakes semi-final showdown.