🏏ICC Champions Trophy 2025: SA vs NZ: 2nd Semi Final: 5 March 2025🏏 - Page 90

Handshakes at the ground among the groundstaff members. Since Dubai will host the final, the tournament has ended in the host country.

Bavuma and Ian Bishop standing beside each other.....💚.

Congratulations to Pak for hosting the CT 2025 successfully...👏👏

Temba Bavuma, SA captain: NZ were above par. I think as well as they batted, we backed ourselves to chase 350 with the wicket getting better. We had one or two good partnerships but not enough. One of me or VDD to go big, which didn't happen. NZ really put us under pressure from the get go. They pierced the off side regularly and kept hitting boundaries in the middle overs, was tough to contain them for having had wickets in hand at the death and putting us under pressure. At 125 for 1, me and Rassie batting, we needed to bat till the 35th. But we weren't able to set up the base for the middle order. Soft dismissal for me, better ball to get Rassie. Left too much to do for those coming in. From a batting pov, being more decisive is what's on my mind. Have to be ruthless and go for the game.

A clinical show from New Zealand today as they march into the finals of CT, 2025 with their confidence sky-high. A team that is known to operate under the radar has once again thrived in a knockout encounter. South Africa, on the other hand, have lost yet another semi-final in an ICC event. South Africa's association with knockout games in ICC events has given them a lot of bitter memories and today has been no different. The Kiwis won an important toss on a flat surface and their batters responded impressively to the decision. Centuries from Rachin and Williamson gave NZ a momentum boost and that is what is needed in crunch games. The South African bowlers had an off day and the oppositon capitalized. Cameos from Mitchell and Phillips at the death were icing on the cake for NZ. 363 was always going to a steep ask for the Proteas. After losing Rickelton quite early, Bavuma and Rassie steadied the ship somewhat but the former scored at a slow rate. The pressure kept mounting on SA and once their skipper departed, things opened up and they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Santner extracted good purchase off the surface and broke the back of the run-chase with a 3-fer. Bracewell, Rachin and Phillips also got the ball to grip and took the game away from the opposition by taking further wickets. Miller played an outstanding knock and struck a century but the game was already done and dusted.

Pehle host country gayi CT se baahar. Ab CT gayi host country se baahar

Rachin Ravindra | Player of the Match - It's always great to contribute to the team, an emphatic victory at the semi-final stage and it's very pleasing. I didn't start as well as I wanted, Marco (Jansen) and Lungi (Ngidi) bowled well, once I got going, partnerships with Young and Kane, it started working for me, partnerships with those two, going with the ebbs and flows of the game, the two helped me get going. We were thinking about 300, then Kane started accelerating, then GP, Daryl Mitchell, and the rest kicked on to take us past 350. It's important to think about what next, but it's all about celebrating the win today, Kane with another classy hundred. Once we go to Dubai, we'll switch back and think about the final.

Temba Bavuma: I do think it was above-par. Probably if it was 350, we would have backed ourselves to chase the score. We had one or two partnerships today but we needed Rassie to go on and emulate what two of their batters did. They really put us under pressure from the word-go, the way they were able to pierce the off-side at the start and the way they played in the middle overs. Kudos to them, credit to their batters, Rachin and Williamson and even the batters who came in, Mitchell and Phillips. We were 125/1 and me and Rassie were still batting. Unfortunately, we weren't able to set that foundation for them. A bit of unfortunate dismissal for me and Rassie and we left too much for them in the end. Like I said in the beginning, like I mentioned that were were 125/1, we had to be more decisive, not give an opportunity for the oppositon to come back and being ruthless. We needed to take care of the key moments in the game.

Mitchell Santner, NZ captain: It's a cool feeling to make the final. We were challenged by a good side. We've had a go against India, look forward to do it again. The platform we were able to set with Rachin and Kane, and set up the death phase earlier, was great. The finishers did their job. The key for the bowlers to keep chipping away with wickets. It was good personally. What we speak about as a group is apply pressure, but still take wickets. It was pleasing to get three pretty good scalps personally. We got four allrounders who bowl spin, that gives depth. GP's two wickets and Rachin's five overs was great. We weren't sure if Henry, who is sore but fine, would bowl. Knew if they hit a hard length, it would spin or seam. Williamson keeps doing it. That partnership was massive, might've been frustrated a touch at times, but they flipped the switch earlier and got us to 360. Looking back, 320 might not have been enough. Being there in Dubai and putting India under pressure gave us confidence. You take in what things work and what doesn't. Not winning the toss might be nice.

Mitchell Santner, NZ captain: It's a cool feeling to make the final. We were challenged by a good side. We've had a go against India, look forward to do it again. The platform we were able to set with Rachin and Kane, and set up the death phase earlier, was great. The finishers did their job. The key for the bowlers to keep chipping away with wickets. It was good personally. What we speak about as a group is apply pressure, but still take wickets. It was pleasing to get three pretty good scalps personally. We got four allrounders who bowl spin, that gives depth. GP's two wickets and Rachin's five overs was great. We weren't sure if Henry, who is sore but fine, would bowl. Knew if they hit a hard length, it would spin or seam. Williamson keeps doing it. That partnership was massive, might've been frustrated a touch at times, but they flipped the switch earlier and got us to 360. Looking back, 320 might not have been enough. Being there in Dubai and putting India under pressure gave us confidence. You take in what things work and what doesn't. Not winning the toss might be nice.