South Africa v New Zealand semi-final tips | Champions Trophy

South Africa vs New Zealand best bets

South Africa vs New Zealand semi-final preview

South Africa and New Zealand face off in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy this Wednesday night (AEDT) in Lahore, with the winner going on to face either 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 night, 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 $1.80 with leading cricket bookies, while they are paying $4.50 to win the trophy.

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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 $2, while top bookmakers have them at outsider odds of $5.50 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 vs 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 vs 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 $1.80 with BetOnline, 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 $2.50 with major sports betting sites, 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 $2.10 with Bet365.

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