Jansen, Markram spearhead win for the ages

Age is a prominent theme in New Zealand cricket, where experience is highly valued. Eleven members of their 14-man T20 World Cup squad are aged 30 or older, with five at least 34. In contrast, South Africa’s squad includes six players under 30. The average age of the playing XIs on Saturday was 31.27 for New Zealand and 29.64 for South Africa.

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter noted, "The average age of the New Zealand side is always high. The guys play a lot of domestic cricket before they eventually push through. They understand that the game is hard and you don't just become good at it quickly. Sometimes guys only make their debuts at 30 and 31. And we're not scared of that. We're OK with guys playing their best cricket at 36."

On the field, New Zealand posted 175/7 after being put in to bat—the lowest first-innings total at the venue in the tournament so far. Mark Chapman (31) and Daryl Mitchell (34) shared a 74-run partnership off 44 balls, but no other stand surpassed 35. South Africa’s Marco Jansen (25) claimed 3/30 in his first three overs, using bouncers, slower balls, and knucklers effectively.

In reply, Aiden Markram (31) delivered a match-winning unbeaten 86 off 44 balls, striking powerfully straight down the ground. South Africa raced to 83/1 in the powerplay—equaling their highest T20I powerplay score—and finished 25 runs ahead of New Zealand at the same stage. They chased down the target with seven wickets and 17 balls to spare, securing a convincing victory in front of 54,293 spectators.

Walter, who served as South Africa’s white-ball coach from January 2023 to April 2025 before taking up the New Zealand coaching role, addressed the topic of selection policies. "You're always trying to pick the best team and do the right things for the team that you coach," he said. "Resources look different. Teams have different strengths in different areas. It's just that the parameters have changed."

When asked about his departure from South Africa with two years remaining on his contract, Walter responded, "You can discuss many sides of the coin in terms of the timing and the reasons. But for me it felt like it was the right time to move on." He cited the split-coaching structure with red-ball coach Shukri Conrad as a factor, noting, "It's complicated when there's two different voices from the head coach."

Despite the change, Walter expressed support for South African cricket, saying, "I'm super chuffed that South Africa achieved that success. Everyone involved can celebrate that moment."

South Africa’s focus remains unwavering. They are not yet guaranteed a Super Eights spot, but face the United Arab Emirates in Delhi on Wednesday with strong momentum.