A for Agony, B for Bizarre, C for Crunch moments and D for Death. The Group D encounter of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 will see South Africa (SA) square off against New Zealand (NZ) in Match No. 24 at the gigantic venue of the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Saturday, February 14. Out of the last five T20Is between the two sides, the Kiwis have won four.
New Zealand have been in tremendous run of form in the ongoing competition. They first thumped Afghanistan in their opening match
in Chennai, followed by a dominant run chase against the United Arab Emirates. If the Mitchell Santner-led side wins the upcoming contest, it will proceed to the Super Eights with a game left in the group stage.
The South Africans, on the other hand, are still not over their nail-biting win against Afghanistan in the double super-over encounter at the same venue. They would certainly not mind getting a couple of points in the upcoming match at Motera but would want to ensure the same without letting the game reach an uncanny position.
NZ vs South Africa: Match Details
| Match | New Zealand vs South Africa, Match 24, T20 World Cup 2026 |
| Date & Time (IST) | Saturday, February 14, 7:00 PM |
| Venue | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| Broadcast and Live-Streaming Details | JioStar Network Channels and JioHotstar (App & Website) |
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad: Pitch Report
Out of the ten T20I encounters played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, teams batting first have won only thrice. The pitch gets better to bat once the cracks on the surface open up, allowing the ball to carry through nicely off the deck. The flat pitches here often put high-scoring thrillers on offer, and a similar encounter is on the cards for the Saturday fixture as well.
NZ vs South Africa: Head-to-Head T20I Record
| Matches Played | 18 |
| Won by NZ | 7 |
| Won by SA | 11 |
| Tied / No Results | 0 |
| First-ever Fixture | October 21, 2005 (NZ Won) |
| Most Recent Fixture | July 26, 2025 (NZ Won) |
NZ vs South Africa: Predicted Playing XIs
New Zealand
Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (captain), Zak Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy
South Africa
Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, George Linde
NZ vs South Africa: Probable Best Performers of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Tim Seifert
Tim Seifert starred in the blistering run chase that the BlackCaps had against the United Arab Emirates in the earlier contest. His unbeaten partnership alongside his opening mate Finn Allen helped massively in the Kiwis registering their second win of the tournament. Seifert will be looking for yet another solid batting display in Motera.
Probable Best Bowler: Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada didn't have the best of the afternoons during his four-over spell against Afghanistan. However, a quality pace bowler like him needs no time to turn the game on its head. Rabada also has the experience of playing in Ahmedabad during his IPL stint with the Gujarat Titans. The Proteas bowler is expected to be among wickets on Saturday as well.
