New Zealand vs South Africa, 4th T20I, South Africa tour of New Zealand, 2026 - CommentaryNZ vs RSA, 4th T20I, South Africa tour of New Zealand, 2026 - Commentary

So we are going to the fifth and final game to find out who will win the series. Sets it up nicely. We will be there on 25th for that one. For now that's it from here. Do join us then. Bye bye for now.

Keshav Maharaj | South Africa captain: "Yeah, very much so. It's the perfect response to two disappointing losses in a row, but that speaks to the character within the unit. Obviously, had some really good chats, but the attitude towards how we came about our business was really, really crucial to see. (adapting to conditions today, did it please him?) Yeah, very much so. I think there was no preconceived ideas coming into the game in terms of plans, just, you know, saw the ball and played the ball on merit, which, you know, gave us the reward. But like I said, the energy within the camp was really good coming into this game. Really good warm-up. You could see there was a little bit of energy and a little bit of hunger within the environment. And then, you know, to transfer it on the field was phenomenal to see. (on players showing fire in a Protea jersey) Yeah, very much so. I think, playing for your country that fire and passion will always be there, but, you know. Now and then, you just need a little bit of a reminder, and, you know, it is a young team finding your way into international cricket, so it does take a little bit of time, but to see the response after three games is superb. (on where the game changed?) I think the way the debutant bowled and got those two crucial wickets to set it up. But obviously, Otos (Baartman) came in, two dropped catches, but, you know, there wasn't a sense of panic, which is important for me to stay calm on the field. The next one, even higher, and you know, Gerald plucked it out, and then obviously I came in and got the two wickets. But I think just in general, it was a real buzz and energy and aura about us on the field, which was pleasing to see. (on their batting) Yeah, very much so. I think, like I said before, there was no pre-planned ideas coming in. Maybe the previous games we looked too much into that sort of things, but the guys just adapted accordingly. Also sort of lost our way a little bit towards the back-end, but you know what! It was still enough to get us over the line today."

Jimmy Neesham | New Zealand captain: "Yeah, disappointing performance. Yeah, probably a wicket that was a good surface without being outstanding. So, yeah, I thought the score of 165 was probably around par, maybe slightly below par. And yeah, certainly had a chance going into the, I suppose, the second half of the game. And yeah, a few average options and yeah, poor execution, and you come out the wrong side of it. (on the pitch) There was a little bit in the surface in the first innings as well, I think. Esterhuizen batted well in the powerplay to kind of be aggressive and sort of put us off our lengths and you sort of get backed into a corner a little bit with trying to bowl variations. And I think that showed in the second innings, if you just stuck to a hard length and let the ball do the work, there was a little bit of sideways movement and yeah, we had a few sort of average options and as I said, just fell short. (on captaincy) Yeah, it was enjoyable. You know, you're sort of no stranger, I guess, to how it all works with sort of being in the leadership group, I guess, in the field usually. And you have those conversations around, you know, fields and bowling changes and that kind of thing. So it's not a huge change to just become the person that makes the call in the end, I guess. (on where he sees New Zealand cricket at the moment) Yeah, very strong. I think that's probably the, I suppose, what this series is good for is displaying the depth in both sides. Both sides missing a few players. So it's always an opportunity for us to blood young guys and guys like Katene Clarke, who's obviously had a barnstorming Super Smash this year, gets his opportunity at the next level. And, you know, in three or four years' time when a couple of guys move on, it's always good to have, you know, a few games of experience into that next level of player. (on the decider) Probably a bit of honesty, I guess, around, you know, where things went wrong today. I think, you know, we bowled extremely well in the previous two games and then probably got a little bit carried away with, you know, variations and that kind of thing. So, yeah, as you mentioned, Hagley, a bigger ground, bigger surface area. You know, those different options come into play a little bit more. And yeah, a couple of days, which is rare. So a training session to get things come together and then, yeah, hopefully close out the series."

Connor Esterhuizen | Player of the Match: "I just tried to keep it as simple as possible, to be honest. Didn't have much time to think about it because I was out there sort of straight away. So just try to stick to a gameplan and it came off tonight. (what was the plan against the bowlers?) I think just normal four-day batting, getting onto off-stump, covering the sort of nick-off. But yeah, just playing straight lines and playing the line. (on conditions) I thought the more you in, the easier it got. It was a tough pitch to start on. So it was important to build partnerships and, yeah, take partnerships deep. (on his keeping) It's a little bit of a challenge. Ball swings around and not sort of used to the conditions. So where to stand is also a bit of a challenge. But I've enjoyed it because I really enjoy my wicketkeeping."

22:35 Local Time, 09:35 GMT, 15:05 IST: Superb bowling and an OK fielding performance from South Africa as they level the series 2-2. After the first over from Linde which went for 15, South Africa came storming back. Coetzee and Baartman rushed the batters with their pace and skiddiness. While Maharaj and Subrayen with their spin were oustanding. The spin duo were the ones who brought South Africa right into the game with wickets as well as choking the runs. Tim Robinson at the top played lovely strokes but apart from Cleaver who made 26 and Nick Kelly 19, there was no other contribution from the New Zealanders. At one stage, New Zealand were well-placed at 76/2 in the 9th over but they slipped to 95/5 and South Africa kept picking wickets to peg them back. South Africa dropped catches but it didn't cost them. Stay tuned for the post-match stuff...

Gerald Coetzee to Kyle Jamieson, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

South Africa take a review for an LBW. This looks sliding down. Let's see.