New Zealand has secured a spot in the Champions Trophy final for the third time after defeating South Africa in the second semi-final in Lahore.

The Kiwis will face India in the final showdown on Sunday.

In a high-scoring encounter, New Zealand outclassed South Africa by 50 runs. Chasing a massive target of 363, South Africa could only manage 312 runs for nine wickets.

Apart from Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma, the rest of the South African batting lineup struggled against New Zealand’s disciplined bowling attack.

Mitchell Santner led the bowling effort with three wickets, while Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips took two each.

Earlier, New Zealand posted a mammoth 362/6, the highest innings total in Champions Trophy history.

Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson starred with the bat, scoring centuries.

Ravindra smashed 108 runs, while Williamson contributed 102. South African pacers Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi picked up two wickets each but failed to contain the Kiwi onslaught.

Winning the toss, New Zealand opted to bat first at Gaddafi Stadium.

Skipper Mitchell Santner expressed confidence in his team’s strategy, stating, “The pitch looks good, and there shouldn’t be any dew. We aim to post a strong total. We understand these conditions well and have made no changes to our squad.”

On the other hand, South African captain Temba Bavuma admitted he would have also preferred to bat first.

“We need to get off to a strong start. I am back in the team and feeling much better,” he said.

With this commanding victory, New Zealand now eyes their first-ever Champions Trophy title in the final against India.

New Zealand wins toss and elects to bat

After winning the toss, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner opted to bat first, citing good pitch conditions.

“We know what to expect in these conditions and will aim for a big total. There’s no dew expected,” Santner said.

South African captain Temba Bavuma admitted they would have preferred to bat first, but now they need a strong start to chase the mammoth target.

He confirmed his return to the playing XI after recovering from injury.

Squad

New Zealand: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke.

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.