Batting first, South Africa once again struggled to get going and posted a below-par 149/7 in their 20 overs. In an unusual twist, teenage seamer Nqobani Mokoena top-scored with a brisk 26 off 20 balls.

George Linde chipped in with 23 off 19, while former Knights duo Dian Forrester and Gerald Coetzee added 17 and 16 respectively, but the innings never quite found momentum.

Mitchell Santner led the charge with the ball for the hosts, returning tidy figures of 2/21, while Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson also claimed two wickets apiece.

In reply, New Zealand made light work of the chase, getting home with 22 balls to spare. Tom Latham anchored the innings superbly with an unbeaten 62 off 55 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes. South African-born Devon Conway provided strong support with a fluent 38 off 26.

Although he went wicketless, Coetzee was the Proteas’ most economical bowler, finishing with 0/23 in his four overs. Captain Keshav Maharaj and Lutho Sipamla picked up a wicket each, but there was little they could do to halt the Black Caps’ charge.

Maharaj admitted afterwards that his side failed to adapt to the conditions.

Tom Latham. Photo: Cricinfo

“The short boundaries are definitely something we discussed, but after losing a couple of wickets, it felt like the only option was to keep targeting that side,” he said. “It was disappointing, to say the least. We had good conversations before the game about that boundary.

“We’ve got a wealth of knowledge in our coaching staff, and they warned that teams who focus too much on the short boundary can shoot themselves in the foot – and that’s exactly what happened today.”

The pressure is now firmly on South Africa, with the Black Caps just one win away from sealing the series. However, Maharaj remains optimistic about their chances of forcing a decider.

George Linde. Photo: Cricinfo

“The positive is that in a five-match series we still have two opportunities left, especially after winning the first game,” he said.

“As much as the opposition changes, I still think we’re searching for the right template in how we want to go about things.

“We’ve had two different scenarios - chasing 90 where we were a bit nervy, and now being bowled out cheaply. We really need to find a way to counter these bowlers and adapt to the conditions sooner rather than later.”

The fourth T20 International between South Africa and New Zealand will take place in Wellington on Sunday, with play at the Basin Reserve scheduled to get underway at 8:15.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek  sm