Battle of the heavyweights! Ahmedabad gets ready for a cracker as two heavyweights battle against one another in the final game of Saturday's tripleheader. It is New Zealand taking on South Africa with the winner certifying a spot for itself in the Super Eights. Easy peasy so far - The Kiwis have just eased through so far. Chased down 183 with consummate ease against Afghanistan while made a mockery of the target of 174 against the United Arab Emirates. However, by their own admission, they have conceded a bit more than they would have liked, in both matches. The batting has looked in supreme shape, with Tim Seifert leading the charge. They were in a bit of a strife against the Afghans but rallied out of that one. A tough recent past - It has not been a good few months for the Black Caps. A horrendous 1-4 series loss to the Indians. Coming out victors against West Indies at home, but despite winning 3-1, challenged in every match, being labelled as the closest home series ever for the Kiwis. Prior to that, losing series to England and Australia, both in home conditions. So if we do the math - from October 2025, New Zealand have played 12 completed T20Is prior to the World Cup but won just 4. That may be a reason why their bowling has been under the pump but these two wins, through solid batting would have eased their nerves a bit. They had arranged a tour to India for getting acclimatized to the conditions and despite being beaten black and blue by India, at least, they have started well in this tourney. From New Zealand's point of view, while a win puts them in the Super Eights, a loss need not be too harmful for them. With Afghanistan losing both their opening matches, and Canada and the United Arab Emirates to come after this, the Black Caps would be confident of making it through to the next stage. However, if they make it on the back of three straight wins, it would make them feel a lot happier. The Kiwis move from Chennai to Ahmedabad, which has already seen two high-scoring matches. So the bowling will once again be tested and if the Kiwis are bowling second, the dew could definitely play a part. Home, sweet home - Talking about Ahmedabad, South Africa will find themselves at home. This is their third match of this tournament and all the three at one venue - so they will have a heads up about the conditions as compared to New Zealand. Post the 2025 World Test Championship final, the Proteas believe that they have now shed that dreaded 'C' word. Yes, it did appear for the Ladies in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup but we will stick with the Men for now. They came agonizingly close of lifting the trophy in 2024 and believe that they can go again and do one step better this time. A promising Indian tour - Like the Kiwis, the Proteas too arranged a tour for themselves to Indian shores, albeit a bit earlier than the Black Caps. It started with a stunning 2-0 clean sweep in Tests, to a respectable 1-2 loss in the ODIs, before culminating into a 1-3 defeat in the T20Is. So they too, can argue that they have a fair knowledge about the grounds in India. The 'C' word strikes again! Escape from jail. That's what South Africa would deem their previous match against Afghanistan. They were nearly made to revisit that 'C' word in that clash. The game should have been done in normal time, in the first ball of the 20th over. But as fate would have it, one mistake cost them and it almost took the match away. Glass is half full - However, the opportunist always looks at the water filled in the glass and not with the space left. The fact that they managed to come out of that Afghanistan game, albeit through huffing and puffing, would have given them a lot of confidence. Mental recovery - Recovery in any sport is not just physical. A lot of it is mental and emotional. The Saffas would be happy with the 2 points they got from that Afghanistan game, but they would have been drained to no end. Have they mentally recovered post that thriller on Wednesday? Only time will tell. History beckons Saffas! 4-0. That's the win-loss record for South Africa over New Zealand in Men's T20 World Cups. Durban, Lord's, Bridgetown and Chattogram. But barring that encounter in the inaugural edition, the win margins have been pretty close - 1 run, 13 runs, while the last one, in 2014, being by just 2 runs. So it has been a case of there and thereabouts for the Kiwis. As far as this particular match is concerned, the Team In Green and Yellow have another headstart over the Kiwis. They have picked up 18 wickets in two matches, as opposed to 12 by the Black Caps. Additionally, they have scored more runs as well, but at the cost of double the wickets. They have batted first in both their games, while the Kiwis have chased in their two openers. Team form (Last 5 completed T20Is, most recent first) - South Africa - WWLWW | New Zealand - WWLWL. Dew on offer? The conditions in Ahmedabad at this time of the year usually dictate teams to bowl first, with dew set to kick in around 3-3.30 pm GMT. A no brainer for the captain to chase, on winning the toss.
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