 "New Zealand opener Rachin Ravindra celebrates after completing his century during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against South Africa in Lahore. AP")
New Zealand produced a clinical display with bat as well as with ball against South Africa on Wednesday to collect a 50-run win and set a date with India in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson slammed centuries and forged a mammoth 164-run partnership for the second wicket to help the Black Caps post a mammoth 362/6 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
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South Africa would end up falling well short of the target despite David Miller’s unbeaten 100 off 67 balls along with fighting half-centuries from Rassie van der Dussen (69) and skipper Temba Bavuma (56).
Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner led by example with a haul of 3/43 and was ably assisted by spin-bowling all-rounders Glenn Phillips (2/27) and Ravindra (1/20) as well as pacer Matt Henry (2/43).
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New Zealand had virtually killed off the contest after reducing South Africa to 218/8 in the 40th over. Miller’s late fireworks, however, only served to delay the inevitable.
New Zealand vs South Africa, Champions Trophy 2025 stats
We take a look at some of the records broken and milestones achieved in our statistical roundup of Wednesday’s match:
— Wednesday’s semi-final had an aggregate of 674 runs – the highest in an ODI involving South Africa and New Zealand and the second highest in the Champions Trophy. The record for the highest matcg aggregate in the Champions Trophy is 707, registered in the Group B match against England and Australia in the ongoing tournament, also in Lahore.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts— South Africa lost the semi-final of an ICC ODI tournament for the ninth time on Wednesday. That’s more than any other team in the history of the sport, with New Zealand in the second spot with eight.
— David Miller’s 67-ball hundred is the fastest in the Champions Trophy, eclipsing Virender Sehwag’s 77-ball century against England in Colombo in the 2002 edition.
— Rachin Ravindra has now scored five centuries in ODIs – all of them coming in ICC events.
— Kane Williamson’s century is his third on the trot against South Africa in ODIs and his 15th overall in the format.
— Williamson also completed 19,000 international runs on Wednesday, becoming the first New Zealand batter to do so. He also happens to be the fourth-fastest to the milestone, achieving it in 440 innings.