Hamilton, March 17 (IANS) A disciplined all-round performance helped New Zealand register a convincing win over South Africa in the second T20I and level the five-game series 1-1 at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday.

Asked to bat first, New Zealand built their innings around a steady knock from Devon Conway (60 off 49), who anchored the top order and ensured the hosts had a solid platform. The opener rotated the strike well and found timely boundaries, allowing New Zealand to recover whenever South Africa’s bowlers struck.

South Africa managed to pick up wickets at regular intervals through their pace attack and spin options, preventing the hosts from running away with the innings in the middle overs. However, New Zealand’s batters ensured the run rate never dipped significantly, thanks to a 12-ball 21 and a 14-ball 20 by Nick Kelly and skipper Mitchell Santner, respectively.

The hosts then accelerated in the closing stages of the innings, capitalising on a few loose deliveries to add valuable runs in the death overs and post a competitive total. The late flourish from Cole McConchie (18 off 12) and Josh Clarkson (26 not out off nine balls) proved crucial in pushing the score to a level that kept the pressure firmly on the visitors heading into the chase.

Chasing a modest total, South Africa began cautiously with Wiaan Mulder and Connor Esterhuizen at the top. Mulder provided the early highlight with a powerful six off Kyle Jamieson, while Esterhuizen also cleared the ropes against Lockie Ferguson. Despite the occasional boundaries, New Zealand’s bowlers kept things tight and denied the visitors a strong start.

The breakthrough came when Ben Sears had Esterhuizen caught at backward point, after which the hosts began to tighten their grip on the contest. Captain Santner struck to remove Mulder, who sliced a cut straight to Conway in the ring.

Rubin Hermann briefly counter-attacked, striking Santner for a six and a four, but his promising stay ended when James Neesham had him caught by Ferguson in the deep. Santner continued to make an impact, dismissing Jason Smith to leave South Africa struggling in the middle overs.

With wickets falling regularly, the visitors found it difficult to build partnerships. Cole McConchie and Sears chipped in with crucial strikes as New Zealand’s bowlers maintained relentless pressure.

George Linde offered late resistance with a quickfire cameo, smashing multiple sixes to momentarily revive South Africa’s hopes. But his entertaining knock of 33 off just 12 balls ended when Ferguson forced a mistimed pull that was safely caught by McConchie at long-on, sealing the win.

With that, New Zealand completed a comprehensive victory to level the series ahead of the third T20I of the five-match series.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 175/6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 60, Josh Clarkson 26*; Wiaan Mulder 2-14, Gerald Coetzee 1-28) beat South Africa 107/10 in 15.3 overs (George Linde 33, Rubin Hermann 19; Ben Sears 3-14, Lockie Ferguson 3-16) by 68 runs.

–IANS

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