SA's Connor Esterhuizen slams his maiden T20I fifty: Key stats
What's the story
South Africa set a target of 165 runs for New Zealand in the fourth T20I at Sky Stadium in Wellington. Connor Esterhuizen was the star of the innings, scoring a half-century. The Proteas had a shaky start but recovered well through a strong partnership between Tony de Zorzi and Esterhuize. The latter, playing his maiden international series, went on to hit his maiden fifty in South African colors.
Batting highlights
Esterhuizen's brilliance highlights South Africa's innings
SA were off to a poor start with opener Wiaan Mulder departing for a duck. However, de Zorzi joined forces with Esterhuize, and the duo steadied the ship with an 81-run stand. Esterhuize dominated the stand as de Zorzi (23 off 21) struggled with quick scoring. The former went on to hit his maiden half-century. However, the middle order struggled to build on the good start as the team finished at 164/5.
Career
A look at Esterhuizen's stats
Esterhuizen made 57 off just 36 balls, a knock laced with seven fours and two sixes. In the series opener, which marked the keeper-batter's SA debut, he made a match-winning 48-ball 45*. His other two scores in the series were 8 and 15. Esterhuizen now has four fifties from 43 T20 matches. He has now completed 851 runs at 26-plus, with his strike rate being over 123.