New Zealands Big Match Supremacy Over South Africa in ICC Events

The semi-final stages of the T20 World Cup 2026 are all set to commence from today. South Africa and New Zealand will be facing each other yet again in a semi-final clash. While South Africa has dominated the tournament so far, their record against New Zealand in knockouts has not been favourable.

Today is March 4 and also the date when we get to know which team is the first to qualify for the T20 World Cup finals. South Africa and New Zealand will be facing each other in the semi-final clash for the first time in the T20 World Cup. However, this is not the first time they are facing each other in an ICC knockout game.

The Proteas have established themselves as the most dominant team in this tournament. Winning all of their games till now, they will be eager to make it to consecutive T20 World Cup finals. On the other hand, New Zealand will be looking forward to continuing its undefeated record against South Africa in .

Let's take a look at how New Zealand has dominated against the Proteas in ICC Knockouts.

World Cup 2011: Quarter Finals

In the Quarter finals of the ICC World Cup 2011, New Zealand and South Africa faced each other at Mirpur. Both teams came out dominant in the league stages to face each other but only one could advance. New Zealand was able to win the toss in this game and they decided to bat first.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

South Africa received a strong start, as Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill were dismissed early, putting the Kiwis at the score of 16/2. But then came the stand between Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor, which put up 114 runs to the board. Ryder was the star as he scored 83 runs and he received support with Taylor scoring 43, while Williamson ended the innings well by scoring 38 runs off 41 balls.

New Zealand managed to put 221 runs on the board for the loss of 8 wickets. Morne Morkel took 3 wickets, while Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir took 2 each. South Africa was expected to chase down the target easily, noting their batting line-up strength. Hashim Amla lost his wicket early in the first over.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

But things were handled well by the other top order batsmen. Graeme Smith (28), Jacques Kallis (47), and AB de Villiers (35), were able to put the Proteas close to the target. At this moment, Jacob Oram troubled the middle order while the other bowlers finished the job. New Zealand bowled out South Africa for just 172 runs, winning the match by 49 runs.

World Cup 2015: Semi-final

South Africa thought of seeking revenge against the New Zealand team in 2015. New Zealand topped Pool A by winning all of their games. On the other hand, South Africa finished second in Pool B with 4 wins in 6 matches. Later South Africa defeated Sri Lanka, while New Zealand defeated West Indies to reach the semi-final.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

Both teams faced each other at Auckland, but this time it was South Africa batting first. Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock were dismissed early, putting the team at 31/2. But Faf du Plessis (82) and Rilee Rossouw (39) put the team back on track. Later, AB de Villiers scored 65 runs off 45 balls and Miller scored 49 runs off 18 balls to help the team finish at 281/5 in 43 overs.

Brendon McCullum gave a rapid fire start to New Zealand in this chase, as he scored 59 runs off 26 balls. South Africa was able to make a comeback in the middle phase, as they put New Zealand at the score of 149/4 in 21.4 overs. But Grant Elliott and Corey Anderson changed the game entirely.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

Elliott went on to score 84 runs off 73 balls in this crucial chase, while Corey Anderson smashed 58 runs off 57 balls. South Africa made some terrible fielding mistakes in this game, which eventually cost them the game. New Zealand went on to win with 1 ball remaining and advanced to the finals.

Champions Trophy 2025: Semi-final

South Africa and New Zealand faced each other in an ICC knockout game after 10 years in the Champions Trophy 2025. New Zealand finished second in their group with 2 wins in 3 matches. On the other hand, South Africa finished at the top in their group with 2 wins and no losses in 3 games. For the semis, they went against each other at Lahore and New Zealand was batting first.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

Will Young lost his wicket early but the real mayhem started with that. Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson went on to smash centuries, as they put up New Zealand at a strong position. Rachin scored 108, while Williamson scored 102. Later, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips scored 49 runs each, which helped the Kiwis to post a massive total of 362 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.

South Africa also started well in the chase despite losing the wicket of Ryan Rickelton early. Temba Bavuma (56) and Rassie van der Dussen (69), were able to keep the team alive in the chase. But Heinrich Klaasen, Wiaan Mulder, and Aiden Markram were unable to contribute well in the chase, which put them out of the game.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

However, David Miller once again remained the sole warrior for the team. He was able to score 100 runs off 67 balls and remained not out. South Africa fell short by 50 runs, losing their third ICC knockout game against New Zealand.