By South Africa delivered a dominant all-round performance to knock Zimbabwe out of the SA vs ZIM Tri-Series with a convincing seven-wicket win. Rubin Hermann’s maiden T20I half-century and Rassie van der Dussen’s calm 52* anchored the chase after Zimbabwe posted a modest 144/6 in 20 overs.
Opting to bowl first under overcast skies, South Africa’s pace attack made early inroads and applied pressure throughout the innings. Zimbabwe, missing their key pacer Blessing Muzarabani, struggled to find rhythm with the bat despite a gritty 61 from Brian Bennett and 36 from Ryan Burl.
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe Innings – 144/6 (20 Overs)
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Bennett | 61 | 44 | 6 | 2 | 138.64 |
| Ryan Burl | 36 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 133.33 |
| Wessly Madhevere | 8 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 88.88 |
| Clive Madande | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Sikandar Raza | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 85.71 |
| Musekiwa | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Munyonga | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Extras | 24 (w 12, nb 1, b 2, lb 9) | ||||
| Total | 144/6 (20 overs) |
Top Bowler (SA): Corbin Bosch – 4-0-16-2
Support: Ngidi – 4-0-34-1
🇿🇦 South Africa Innings – 145/3 (17.2 Overs)
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubin Hermann | 63 | 38 | 5 | 3 | 165.78 |
| Rassie van der Dussen (c) | 52* | 40 | 3 | 1 | 130.00 |
| Lhuan-dre Pretorius | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 166.66 |
| Reeza Hendricks | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16.66 |
| Dewald Brevis | 12* | 7 | 1 | 0 | 171.42 |
Top Bowler (ZIM): Tinotenda Maposa – 4-0-38-2
Match Summary
The SA vs ZIM Tri-Series encounter was a must-win game for Zimbabwe, but South Africa’s experience and consistency proved too much. Zimbabwe got off to a sluggish start in the powerplay, managing just 29/2 – the lowest of the series. A brief middle-order fight led by Bennett and Burl injected momentum, but South Africa’s death bowling closed off the innings brilliantly.
Chasing 145, South Africa lost two early wickets but Hermann and van der Dussen took charge. The 10th and 11th overs shifted the momentum completely, with Hermann smashing boundaries at will. He brought up his maiden T20I fifty with a powerful six and stitched a match-winning 74-run partnership with his captain.
With this victory, South Africa have strengthened their position in the tri-series final race, while Zimbabwe are officially eliminated from contention.
