Zimbabwe tri-series final: Matt Henry's insane final over and New Zealand's freak catching helps them beat South Africa in a thriller

New Zealand and South Africa are known to produce riveting games. More so when the occasion is big, as it was on Saturday (July 26) at the Harare Sports Club. The tri-series hosted by Zimbabwe was having its summit clash and with the home side knocked out, the two strong teams made it to the final. While not of the same high quality, this game had vibes of the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final that these two played out at Eden Park, Auckland. Except that the roles were reversed in a few ways.

It seemed like South Africa had all but buried this game due to Dewald Brevis's astonishing cameo in the death overs. With 37 needed off 18 balls, the prodiguous South African ensured that 15 apiece was taken off the next two overs bowled by Zak Foulkes and Jacob Duffy respectively. Skipper Mitchell Santner arguably made a blunder in not giving Matt Henry the ball for the 19th over, which is the norm when defending a total. It nearly cost the Black Caps as Henry was left with just six to defend in the final over against Brevis who was breathing fire at 31*(14).

The first ball was a good short delivery that totally cramped Brevis and it didn't rise as much either, cramping him on the upper cut, beaten all ends up. The next ball was the game-sealing moment. Another short ball and this time Brevis almost made the perfect connection. It was to the longest part of the ground, though, and Michael Bracewell took the catch at the edge of the rope. He realised that the momentum would take him past the rope and so held his composure, by the barest of margins. Multiple replays were taken by the third umpire and it was evident that the catch was clean. An inch wider or higher, and the trophy would have been South Africa's. Instead, they now needed seven off four balls.

With momentum and experience on his side, Henry then nearly struck next ball as Corbin Bosch's top-edged pull was put down, ironically by Bracewell in the deep. The third delivery should have been another brace but George Linde slipped at the striker's end, meaning that Bosch was now off-strike. Not that Linde is any less of a hitter. With four needed off two, it was a matter of one shot and Linde thought he had middled a flat-batted pull well enough. Until a flying Daryl Mitchell leapt to his right from long-on to take a gravity-defying catch. It stunned the crowd and Linde himself, as New Zealand's players went bonkers. With a boundary needed off the final ball, Senuran Muthusamy failed to connect his slog against Henry's off-cutter, sealing the title for the Black Caps.

The final over was a mix of high quality death bowling and world class fielding. Yes, South Africa could have still won if they had chosen their moments better. However, in such tenses high-stakes games, decision-making isn't an easy task. That is where the Black Caps prevailed in a blockbuster clash.