South Africa and New Zealand face off in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy this Wednesday in Lahore, with the winner going on to face wither India or Australia in the final.
The Proteas made it through the pool stage undefeated, finishing on top of Group B with two wins and an abandoned clash against Australia. Last Saturday, they secured a comprehensive seven-wicket win over England, chasing down 179 in just 29.1 overs.
As a result, South Africa enter this clash as favourites at -125 with leading cricket bookies, while they are paying +350 to win the trophy.
On the other hand, New Zealand finished the group stage with a 44-run loss to India. Despite restricting India to 249, the Black Caps crumbled with the bat, falling for just 205, as they struggled against the spin attack.
However, New Zealand secured wins over both Pakistan and Bangladesh to finish second in Group A, while they were previously on a six-game ODI win streak. They are slight underdogs for this clash at +100, while top bookmakers have them at outsider odds of +450 to win the tournament.
On recent form, conditions in Lahore are expected to favour batsmen. Seven out of nine completed scores there in 2025 have cleared 300, so expect two strong batting sides to score freely in this clash.
South Africa v New Zealand team news
South Africa are set to be boosted by the return of captain Temba Bavuma, who could move up to open the batting due to the inclusion of wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen at number four. Tristan Stubbs is likely to miss out, with the rest of the team set to remain unchanged.
Projected South Africa XI: Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
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New Zealand are set to remain largely unchanged for this clash, although top-order batter Devon Conway could be in the mix for a recall. Conway was dropped after playing NZ’s first two matches, but Daryl Mitchell’s indifferent form could lead the selectors to make a change for the semi-final.
Projected New Zealand XI: Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke.
South Africa v New Zealand betting predictions
With dominant performances against both England and Afghanistan, South Africa look to have an excellent balance between bat and ball that will be hard to beat. The Black Caps’ batting lineup is strong, but there are concerns around their pace attack, while their spin trio has been particularly expensive. As slight favourites at -125 with Nags.bet, back the Proteas to secure their spot in the final.
Returning from injury against England, Heinrich Klaasen showed no signs of rust, scoring 64 off just 56 balls. The 33-year-old has been in ridiculous ODI form, scoring fifties in each of his last five innings, while he averages 75.5 in Pakistan. At +150 with Nags.bet, back Klaasen to continue his strong form with 50 or more runs once again.
Another player in strong form is New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry. He took 5/42 against India on Sunday, while he has taken multiple wickets in five of his last six ODI matches. While the conditions are expected to favour the batsmen, Henry is good enough to take two or more wickets at +110 with Nags.bet.
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