Sears, Ferguson set up series parity for New Zealand

New Zealand shrugged off their shoddy start to the five-match series by achieving parity in the second game in Hamilton. Devon Conway offered the first sign of turnaround from the game when they were bundled out for a sub-100 total as he scored a 49-ball 60. Josh Clarkson's nine-ball 26* then pushed them to 175/6. South Africa folded for just 107 as Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears bagged three wickets each.

Asked to bat on a two-paced surface, Conway got stuck in. He and Tom Latham took New Zealand to 43/0 in the Powerplay but lost two quick wickets after this phase. Conway and Nick Kelly added a quick stand worth 37 runs before the latter fell in the 11th over. Even as the New Zealand middle-order stuttered, Conway kept going, getting to a half-century. He became Wiaan Mulder's second wicket in the 16th over. New Zealand could've slumped to a sub-150 total, but Clarkson swung for the fences in a blitzy cameo.

As it turned out, even 150 would've been enough for New Zealand as the fast-bowling duo of Ferguson and Sears ripped through South Africa. Sears got the ball rolling with the wicket of Connor Esterhuizen in the fifth over and Mitchell Santner snuffed out Mulder in the sixth. South Africa's middle-order too malfunctioned as they went from 59/3 in the 10th over to 91/7 in the 13th. Santner managed a second scalp – of Jason Smith, while Ferguson and Sears took turns to dismantle the chase.

George Linde fought on, but without any support from the other end as wickets continued to tumble. 91/7 became 92/9 in the 14th over, leaving Linde to bat with No.11 Ottneil Baartman. Linde dragged the chase on for two more overs before Ferguson brought down the curtains with his wicket.

Brief scores: New Zealand 175/6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 60, Josh Clarkson 26*; Wiaan Mulder 2-14) beat South Africa 107 in 15.3 overs (George Linde 33; Lockie Ferguson 3-16, Ben Sears 3-14) by 68 runs.