"Great feeling to contribute to an emphatic win in a semi-final," said Rachin Ravindra after his match-winning knock.
I didn't start as well as I wanted, SA bowled well, but once we got going it was nice to build partnerships with Kane and Young. It was nice to go with the ebbs and flows of one-day cricket. We were thinking around 300 as cutters were holding, and SA were getting a bounce, but then the game started accelerating nicely, and Glenn and Mitchell finished great.
A few weeks ago, Ravindra was in a tough spot after suffering an injury to his forehead while attempting a catch in a Tri-Nation Series match against Pakistan in Karachi. On Wednesday, the left-handed opener bounced back in style, scoring a 101-ball 108 to help New Zealand post a massive 362/6 in 50 overs against South Africa in the second semifinal of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Lahore.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, thrilled with his side's performance, said he was looking forward to the final against India.
It's a cool feeling to make the final. We were challenged by a good side. We've had a go against India, and look forward to doing it again. Being there in Dubai and putting India under pressure gave us confidence. You take in what things work and what doesn't. Not winning the toss might be nice.
Santner highlighted the importance of the partnership between Ravindra and Kane Williamson.
The platform we were able to set with Rachin and Kane and set up the death phase earlier, was great. The finishers did their job. Williamson keeps doing it. That partnership was massive, might've been frustrated a touch at times, but they flipped the switch earlier and got us to 360.
New Zealand's bowling unit also played a crucial role in the victory, restricting South Africa to 312/9 at the Gaddafi Stadium for a 50-run win.
The key for the bowlers to keep chipping away with wickets.
It was good personally. What we speak about as a group is applying pressure, but still take wickets. It was pleasing to get three pretty good scalps personally. We got four all-rounders who bowl spin, that gives depth. GP's two wickets and Rachin's five overs was great.
Matt Henry (2-43) and Glenn Phillips (2-27) provided strong support as South Africa’s chase fell short, despite a valiant 100 not out from David Miller. Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen (69) and Temba Bavuma (56) had threatened to take the game deep with a century partnership, but Santner’s intervention, which saw him remove both batters as well as Heinrich Klaasen, derailed their progress.
New Zealand’s victory sets up a summit clash against India in Dubai on Sunday, as they look to avenge their loss from the league stage.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 362/6 in 50 overs (Rachin Ravindra 108, Kane Williamson 102, Daryl Mitchell 49, Glenn Phillips 49 not out; Lungi Ngidi 3-72, Kagiso Rabada 2-70)
South Africa 312/9 in 50 overs (David Miller 100 not out, Rassie van der Dussen 69, Temba Bavuma 56; Mitchell Santner 3-43, Glenn Phillips 2-27, Matt Henry 2-43). New Zealand won by 50 runs.
