NZ vs SA

10:58 PM local time (3:28 PM IST): Right then, that was one good match in windy Wellington! Now, the action shifts to Christchurch for the decider on Wednesday. The first ball is to be bowled at 7:15 PM local time (11:45 AM IST). Do join us for what is expected to be a cracking game! This is the pair of Bala and Bidipto taking your leave. Keep following Sportskeeda! 

Keshav Maharaj (South Africa captain): "(On bouncing back in the series) It's a perfect response to two hard losses! We bowled and caught well tonight. We had our plans in place, and batted to the merit of the ball. (On the preparation) The energy was extremely good today. Playing for your country, that fire, passion will always be there. But, we must remind ourselves that it is a young team. Still, the performance under pressure was superb! (On the bowling effort) I think the way Prenelan Subrayen bowled on debut, to take those two wickets, just set the tone. The quicks did their bit of course. (On what worked the most today) There was nothing pre-planned today, like it was in the last two games. We kept things simple, and that was lovely!" 

Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand captain): "Yeah, I thought it was a solid performance overall. It looked like a good batting surface and with the way our guys were striking it, 165 felt around par, maybe just a touch below. We certainly felt we were in the game heading into the second half, but a few average options and some poor execution meant we ended up on the wrong side of the result. There was probably a bit in the surface early on. They used the powerplay really well, put us under pressure and forced us to go searching with variations. That can push you off your lengths. In the second innings, you could see that hitting a hard length and letting the pitch do the work was more effective, there was a bit of sideways movement. As I said, we just didn’t execute well enough. I really enjoyed it. I’ve been part of the leadership group, so you’re always involved in those on-field discussions around fields and plans. The only difference here is you’re the one making the final call. It wasn’t a huge shift, to be honest. It’s in a really strong place. That’s one of the positives from a series like this. Both sides are missing a few players, so it gives opportunities to new guys. Someone like Katene Clarke, coming off a great Super Smash, gets his chance at this level. A few years down the line, that experience becomes really valuable for the group. A bit of honesty around where we went wrong today. We bowled really well in the first couple of games but probably got a bit carried away with variations here. Christchurch is a bigger ground, so those options come into play more. We’ve got a couple of days now, which is rare, so a good training session and hopefully we can put things right and close out the series."

Connor Esterhuizen is the player of the match!
"I just tried to keep it as simple as possible, to be honest. I didn’t have much time to think because I was out there almost straight away. I just stuck to my game plan, and thankfully it came off tonight. I think it was about getting forward more, getting to the pitch of the ball and covering off-stump better. Just playing straight and sticking to the line. I felt it got easier the longer I stayed in. It was a tough pitch early on, so it was important to build partnerships and try to take them deep. It’s been a bit of a challenge. The ball moves around a fair bit, and getting used to where to stand hasn’t been easy. But I’ve really enjoyed it. I love keeping."

10:34 PM local time (3:04 PM IST): South Africa win by 19 runs with 7 balls to spare! 

Connor Esterhuizen 57 (36) | Gerald Coetzee - 3/31 (3.5)
Tim Robinson 32 (22) | Kyle Jamieson - 2/29 (4)

We have a series decider on Wednesday! 

Yes, South Africa have done it! They have managed to pull off a superb win tonight to keep the hopes of winning the series, alive. 

It didn't look like that's possible, given how the innings began. Because Tim Robinson was going great guns, looking to take the game away from the Proteas in no time! He scored a brisk 32, and found able support from Dane Cleaver. 

Nick Kelly looked decent as well. In fact, every New Zealand batter, right up to number 11 Ben Sears, looked capable to getting the job done. The target too, in dewy conditions, was not daunting. 

But, Prenelan Subrayen, Keshav Maharaj, Ottniel Baartman and Gerald Coetzee, took care of things, when the pressure was on! No, South Africa weren't at their best with the ball, but when it came to taking those key moments in the game, the Proteas lived up to the expectation. 

Be it spin or seam, the bowling was good enough to take wickets regularly, through the middle. New Zealand were never out of it, but, they kept losing wickets. The best way for any team to come back in the match with the ball and eventually win it, was to take wickets! 

Some of the catches from the South Africans was excellent, and pretty collective under pressure, which also helped! 

Not the best of nights as captain for Jimmy Neesham, but, we had a good match today, quite befitting of sides who have been quite superb in this format of late! 

18.5 Gerald Coetzee to Kyle Jamieson, OUT! Baartman takes it and South Africa level the series! Hard length does the trick. Jamieson is forced to go for the big hit and gets the top edge. Baartmen comes in from short fineleg and completes a good catch

18.2 Gerald Coetzee to Kyle Jamieson, short of a length around the off-stump. Jamieson once again punches it aerially over the infield off the back foot. Good stop by Maharaj in the deep

18.1 Gerald Coetzee to Kyle Jamieson, short of a length outside off. Punches it aerially and gets it just over cover. They scamper back for a couple

Baartman is done for the night with the ball. Now, does Subrayen come on for this over? Or, does he bowl the last one? New Zealand need this 19th over to big though. 

17.5 Ottniel Baartman to Kyle Jamieson, full ball on the stumps. Mistimes the drive to mid-on. Jamieson wants the second and Sears does well to get back