Covers 81 matches between South Africa and New Zealand from Feb 2003 to Mar 2026 (Tests, ODIs and T20Is with ball-by-ball records).
Count up all 81 games since Feb 2003 and the South Africa vs New Zealand head to head comes out 44 to 29, South Africa’s way. They are ahead in every format, yet the margin shrinks sharply once you leave Tests for white-ball cricket.
New Zealand have had the better of the most recent Tests and ODIs, winning the last two of each. The newest game of all was a T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch on 25 Mar 2026, a 33-run South African win. What follows tracks the results timeline, the standout players and the trends behind the totals.
How the Lead Splits Across Tests, ODIs and T20Is
Tests give South Africa their clearest edge: 11 wins and 4 defeats, with 6 Tests drawn out of 21. Even so, the pair of Tests in Feb 2024 both belonged to New Zealand, a 281-run victory at Mount Maunganui and a 7-wicket one at Seddon Park. South Africa’s heaviest Test win was by an innings and 193 runs at Gqeberha in Jan 2013, though New Zealand’s win by an innings and 276 runs at Christchurch in Feb 2022 tops the biggest-wins list. South Africa’s largest win by runs came at Johannesburg on 8 Nov 2007, by 358 runs.
ODIs are far more even, 18 South African wins to 15, plus 2 with no result, from 35 meetings. New Zealand beat South Africa twice at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore in 2025, the second time by 50 runs while posting 362/6, the biggest ODI total between them.
In T20Is it is 15 to 10 from 25 games. Mar 2026 alone produced five meetings in New Zealand, and South Africa won three of them. Each side’s broader record sits on the South African team records page and the New Zealand records page.
South Africa vs New Zealand Head to Head Record by Format
Format
Matches
South Africa won
New Zealand won
Tied
Drawn
NR
First match
Latest match
Tests
21
11
4
0
6
0
18 Mar 2004
13 Feb 2024
ODIs
35
18
15
0
–
2
16 Feb 2003
5 Mar 2025
T20Is
25
15
10
0
–
0
21 Oct 2005
25 Mar 2026
All formats
81
44
29
0
6
2
16 Feb 2003
25 Mar 2026
South Africa vs New Zealand in Tests
Tests in this record book: 21, from Mar 2004 to Feb 2024.
Most Runs in South Africa vs New Zealand Tests
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
HM Amla South Africa
14
22
1,154
176*
60.74
52.43
4
7
KS Williamson New Zealand
12
20
1,068
176
62.82
49.47
6
2
JH Kallis South Africa
11
17
838
186
49.29
51.32
3
4
GC Smith South Africa
12
20
817
125*
45.39
61.85
2
6
SP Fleming New Zealand
7
13
579
262
48.25
59.51
1
1
AB de Villiers South Africa
10
14
546
97
39.00
60.33
0
5
BB McCullum New Zealand
12
22
499
61
23.76
47.75
0
4
F du Plessis South Africa
7
10
491
137
70.14
44.72
2
3
D Elgar South Africa
8
13
463
140
38.58
43.56
2
1
JA Rudolph South Africa
5
8
433
154*
86.60
45.58
2
2
Most Wickets in South Africa vs New Zealand Tests
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
DW Steyn South Africa
12
23
68
6/49
16.04
2.91
6
CS Martin New Zealand
11
19
44
6/76
26.91
3.18
4
VD Philander South Africa
9
15
34
6/44
20.59
2.76
3
N Wagner New Zealand
9
16
33
5/86
29.03
3.09
1
M Ntini South Africa
7
14
32
5/35
26.41
3.33
3
M Morkel South Africa
8
14
28
6/23
23.21
2.76
1
MJ Henry New Zealand
5
10
25
7/23
18.48
2.67
1
K Rabada South Africa
6
9
23
5/60
28.09
3.27
1
KA Maharaj South Africa
4
6
19
6/40
22.11
2.58
2
TG Southee New Zealand
8
15
19
5/35
47.95
3.17
1
Highest individual scores
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Date
SP Fleming New Zealand
262
423
31
2
27 Apr 2006
R Ravindra New Zealand
240
366
26
3
4 Feb 2024
JH Kallis South Africa
186
262
25
3
8 Nov 2007
KS Williamson New Zealand
176
285
16
3
25 Mar 2017
HM Amla South Africa
176*
378
24
0
8 Nov 2007
Best bowling in an innings
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Date
MJ Henry New Zealand
7/23
15
17 Feb 2022
M Morkel South Africa
6/23
16.4
23 Mar 2012
KA Maharaj South Africa
6/40
20.2
16 Mar 2017
VD Philander South Africa
6/44
15.5
15 Mar 2012
DW Steyn South Africa
6/49
10.3
16 Nov 2007
Highest team totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
New Zealand
595
148.5
South Africa
Eden Park, Auckland
18 Mar 2004
New Zealand
593/8
165
South Africa
Newlands, Cape Town
27 Apr 2006
South Africa
525/8
153.5
New Zealand
St George’s Park, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
11 Jan 2013
South Africa
512
188
New Zealand
Newlands, Cape Town
27 Apr 2006
New Zealand
511
144
South Africa
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
4 Feb 2024
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
New Zealand
45
19.2
South Africa
Newlands, Cape Town
2 Jan 2013
South Africa
95
49.2
New Zealand
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
17 Feb 2022
South Africa
111
41.4
New Zealand
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
17 Feb 2022
New Zealand
118
41.3
South Africa
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
8 Nov 2007
New Zealand
119
44
South Africa
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
5 May 2006
Biggest wins
Result
Format
Venue
Date
New Zealand won by an innings and 276 runs
Test
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
17 Feb 2022
South Africa won by an innings and 193 runs
Test
St George’s Park, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
11 Jan 2013
South Africa won by an innings and 59 runs
Test
SuperSport Park, Centurion
16 Nov 2007
South Africa won by 358 runs
Test
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
8 Nov 2007
New Zealand won by 281 runs
Test
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
4 Feb 2024
South Africa won by 204 runs
Test
SuperSport Park, Centurion
27 Aug 2016
New Zealand won by 9 wickets
Test
Eden Park, Auckland
18 Mar 2004
South Africa won by 9 wickets
Test
Seddon Park, Hamilton
15 Mar 2012
South Africa won by 8 wickets
Test
Basin Reserve, Wellington
16 Mar 2017
Latest results
Date
Venue
Result
13 Feb 2024
Seddon Park, Hamilton
New Zealand won by 7 wickets
4 Feb 2024
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
New Zealand won by 281 runs
25 Feb 2022
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
South Africa won by 198 runs
17 Feb 2022
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
New Zealand won by an innings and 276 runs
25 Mar 2017
Seddon Park, Hamilton
Drawn
16 Mar 2017
Basin Reserve, Wellington
South Africa won by 8 wickets
8 Mar 2017
University Oval, Dunedin
Drawn
27 Aug 2016
SuperSport Park, Centurion
South Africa won by 204 runs
19 Aug 2016
Kingsmead, Durban
Drawn
11 Jan 2013
St George’s Park, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
South Africa won by an innings and 193 runs
South Africa vs New Zealand in ODIs
ODIs in this record book: 35, from Feb 2003 to Mar 2025.
Most Runs in South Africa vs New Zealand ODIs
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
AB de Villiers South Africa
25
25
991
106*
61.94
97.83
1
7
KS Williamson New Zealand
19
19
905
145*
60.33
86.69
4
3
HM Amla South Africa
19
19
744
124
39.16
77.99
2
3
F du Plessis South Africa
16
16
592
82
42.29
79.04
0
6
GC Smith South Africa
17
17
573
116
33.71
75.89
1
3
BB McCullum New Zealand
19
19
572
85
31.78
80.68
0
4
Q de Kock South Africa
14
14
522
114
40.15
89.54
1
4
MJ Guptill New Zealand
17
17
506
180*
33.73
77.25
2
1
HH Gibbs South Africa
8
8
452
143
56.50
86.76
2
2
DA Miller South Africa
15
15
423
100*
32.54
111.61
1
1
Most wickets in ODIs
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
KD Mills New Zealand
17
17
29
5/25
22.93
4.60
1
M Morkel South Africa
7
7
19
5/38
18.21
5.54
1
Imran Tahir South Africa
13
13
17
2/14
28.71
4.17
0
K Rabada South Africa
9
9
15
3/25
23.07
4.47
0
DW Steyn South Africa
14
14
15
2/32
38.87
4.60
0
LL Tsotsobe South Africa
6
6
14
4/45
17.57
4.32
0
TA Boult New Zealand
10
10
14
3/63
38.86
5.71
0
JDP Oram New Zealand
7
7
13
4/39
18.62
4.65
0
A Nel South Africa
9
9
12
3/46
33.08
4.88
0
DL Vettori New Zealand
15
15
12
3/33
46.75
4.16
0
Highest individual scores
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Date
MJ Guptill New Zealand
180*
138
15
11
1 Mar 2017
MP Breetzke South Africa
150
148
11
5
10 Feb 2025
KS Williamson New Zealand
145*
136
17
1
22 Jan 2013
HH Gibbs South Africa
143
141
19
3
16 Feb 2003
SP Fleming New Zealand
134*
132
21
0
16 Feb 2003
Best bowling in an innings
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Date
KD Mills New Zealand
5/25
10
25 Nov 2007
M Morkel South Africa
5/38
9.3
29 Feb 2012
WD Parnell South Africa
5/57
8
24 Sep 2009
MJ McClenaghan New Zealand
4/20
10
19 Jan 2013
KS Williamson New Zealand
4/22
7.2
19 Jan 2013
Highest team totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
New Zealand
362/6
50
South Africa
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
5 Mar 2025
South Africa
357/4
50
New Zealand
MCA Stadium, Pune
1 Nov 2023
South Africa
312/9
50
New Zealand
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
5 Mar 2025
New Zealand
308/4
48.4
South Africa
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
10 Feb 2025
South Africa
306/6
50
New Zealand
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
16 Feb 2003
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
South Africa
108
34.1
New Zealand
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
16 Oct 2006
New Zealand
112
32.2
South Africa
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
25 Feb 2017
New Zealand
149
41.1
South Africa
Eden Park, Auckland
4 Mar 2017
New Zealand
167
35.3
South Africa
MCA Stadium, Pune
1 Nov 2023
South Africa
172
43.2
New Zealand
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
25 Mar 2011
Biggest wins
Result
Format
Venue
Date
South Africa won by 190 runs
ODI
MCA Stadium, Pune
1 Nov 2023
South Africa won by 159 runs
ODI
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
25 Feb 2017
New Zealand won by 87 runs
ODI
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
16 Oct 2006
New Zealand won by 8 wickets
ODI
Senwes Park, Potchefstroom
23 Aug 2015
New Zealand won by 7 wickets
ODI
St George’s Park, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
30 Nov 2007
New Zealand won by 7 wickets
ODI
Seddon Park, Hamilton
1 Mar 2017
Latest results
Date
Venue
Result
5 Mar 2025
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
New Zealand won by 50 runs
10 Feb 2025
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
New Zealand won by 6 wickets
1 Nov 2023
MCA Stadium, Pune
South Africa won by 190 runs
19 Jun 2019
Edgbaston, Birmingham
New Zealand won by 4 wickets
4 Mar 2017
Eden Park, Auckland
South Africa won by 6 wickets
1 Mar 2017
Seddon Park, Hamilton
New Zealand won by 7 wickets
25 Feb 2017
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
South Africa won by 159 runs
22 Feb 2017
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
New Zealand won by 6 runs
19 Feb 2017
Seddon Park, Hamilton
South Africa won by 4 wickets
26 Aug 2015
Kingsmead, Durban
South Africa won by 62 runs
South Africa vs New Zealand in T20Is
T20Is in this record book: 25, from Oct 2005 to Mar 2026.
Most runs in T20Is
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
MJ Guptill New Zealand
10
10
424
101*
53.00
132.92
1
2
AB de Villiers South Africa
11
11
270
52*
33.75
119.47
0
1
JP Duminy South Africa
6
6
256
86*
51.20
162.03
0
1
BB McCullum New Zealand
12
12
248
57
22.55
112.22
0
1
HM Amla South Africa
7
7
219
62
31.29
123.73
0
1
C Esterhuizen South Africa
5
5
200
75
50.00
145.99
0
2
TL Seifert New Zealand
5
5
189
66*
47.25
141.04
0
2
KS Williamson New Zealand
7
7
189
51
31.50
138.97
0
1
DP Conway New Zealand
6
6
175
60
29.17
128.68
0
1
TB Robinson New Zealand
6
6
156
75*
31.20
125.81
0
1
Most wickets in T20Is
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
M Morkel South Africa
9
9
10
4/17
29.20
8.34
0
DW Steyn South Africa
5
5
9
4/17
10.44
4.95
0
G Coetzee South Africa
7
7
9
3/31
21.44
7.47
0
BV Sears New Zealand
5
5
8
3/14
14.50
6.44
0
KA Maharaj South Africa
7
7
8
2/22
26.75
9.30
0
TG Southee New Zealand
6
6
8
3/28
27.75
9.65
0
MJ Santner New Zealand
9
9
8
2/19
29.50
7.15
0
Imran Tahir South Africa
2
2
7
5/24
7.29
6.51
1
OEG Baartman South Africa
4
4
7
2/22
16.57
7.73
0
MJ Henry New Zealand
4
4
7
3/34
17.86
8.72
0
Highest individual scores
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Date
RE Levi South Africa
117*
51
5
13
19 Feb 2012
MJ Guptill New Zealand
101*
69
9
6
23 Dec 2012
FH Allen New Zealand
100*
33
10
8
4 Mar 2026
JM Kemp South Africa
89*
56
6
6
19 Sep 2007
JP Duminy South Africa
86*
43
10
3
24 Mar 2014
Best bowling in an innings
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Date
Imran Tahir South Africa
5/24
3.5
17 Feb 2017
M Morkel South Africa
4/17
4
19 Sep 2007
DW Steyn South Africa
4/17
4
24 Mar 2014
M Jansen South Africa
4/40
4
14 Feb 2026
BV Sears New Zealand
3/14
3
17 Mar 2026
Highest team totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
South Africa
187/4
20
New Zealand
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
25 Mar 2026
South Africa
185/6
20
New Zealand
Eden Park, Auckland
17 Feb 2017
New Zealand
180/5
20
South Africa
Harare Sports Club, Harare
26 Jul 2025
South Africa
179/6
20
New Zealand
St George’s Park, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
26 Dec 2012
South Africa
178/3
17.1
New Zealand
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
14 Feb 2026
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
New Zealand
86
18.2
South Africa
Kingsmead, Durban
21 Dec 2012
New Zealand
91
14.3
South Africa
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
15 Mar 2026
New Zealand
107
14.5
South Africa
Eden Park, Auckland
17 Feb 2017
South Africa
107
15.3
New Zealand
Seddon Park, Hamilton
17 Mar 2026
South Africa
133
19.3
New Zealand
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
21 Oct 2005
Biggest wins
Result
Format
Venue
Date
South Africa won by 78 runs
T20I
Eden Park, Auckland
17 Feb 2017
New Zealand won by 68 runs
T20I
Seddon Park, Hamilton
17 Mar 2026
South Africa won by 33 runs
T20I
St George’s Park, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
26 Dec 2012
New Zealand won by 9 wickets
T20I
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
4 Mar 2026
South Africa won by 8 wickets
T20I
Seddon Park, Hamilton
19 Feb 2012
South Africa won by 8 wickets
T20I
Kingsmead, Durban
21 Dec 2012
South Africa vs New Zealand T20I Results Timeline
Date
Venue
Result
25 Mar 2026
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
South Africa won by 33 runs
22 Mar 2026
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
South Africa won by 19 runs
20 Mar 2026
Eden Park, Auckland
New Zealand won by 8 wickets
17 Mar 2026
Seddon Park, Hamilton
New Zealand won by 68 runs
15 Mar 2026
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
South Africa won by 7 wickets
4 Mar 2026
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
New Zealand won by 9 wickets
14 Feb 2026
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
South Africa won by 7 wickets
26 Jul 2025
Harare Sports Club, Harare
New Zealand won by 3 runs
22 Jul 2025
Harare Sports Club, Harare
New Zealand won by 7 wickets
16 Jul 2025
Harare Sports Club, Harare
New Zealand won by 21 runs
Most Player of the Match Awards: South Africa vs New Zealand Players
Player
Awards
AB de Villiers South Africa
6
MJ Guptill New Zealand
5
GC Smith South Africa
4
KS Williamson New Zealand
4
SP Fleming New Zealand
3
DW Steyn South Africa
3
HH Gibbs South Africa
2
M Morkel South Africa
2
Grounds where South Africa vs New Zealand have met most
Leading Players in South Africa vs New Zealand Stats
Dale Steyn (South Africa) stands out with the ball. His 68 Test wickets against New Zealand cost just 16.04 apiece, and he managed 6 five-wicket hauls in 12 matches. Matt Henry (New Zealand) owns the best single analysis, 7/23 at Christchurch on 17 Feb 2022.
Among the batters, Hashim Amla (South Africa) heads the Test aggregate with 1,154 runs, averaging 60.74. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) is close behind on 1,068 and has 6 centuries, more than anyone else listed. Stephen Fleming (New Zealand) played the biggest innings, 262 at Newlands in Apr 2006.
AB de Villiers (South Africa) tops the ODI scoring with 991 and collected 6 match awards, a rivalry best. Martin Guptill (New Zealand) hit 180* at Hamilton in Mar 2017, and nobody has more T20I runs in this match-up than his 424.
Chasing, the Toss and Favourite Grounds
ODIs between these sides have rewarded the chase. Teams batting second won 22 times to 11 for those setting a target, despite first innings averaging 249. T20Is are close to level, 13 chasing wins to 12.
Calling right has helped: the toss winner owns 10 of the 15 decisive Tests and 15 of 25 T20Is. Seddon Park, with 8 games, is the most used venue, split 3 wins apiece plus 2 other results. SuperSport Park in Centurion has been a fortress for South Africa, 6 wins from 7 there. For more rivalries, try India vs New Zealand or India against South Africa.
Questions about South Africa vs New Zealand
Which side has more wins, South Africa or New Zealand?
South Africa: 44 to New Zealand’s 29 from 81 games since Feb 2003. The remainder were 6 drawn Tests and 2 ODIs without a result.
What does the Test record between them look like?
South Africa lead with 11 wins, New Zealand have 4, and 6 Tests were drawn, from 21 starting in Mar 2004. The two latest, both in Feb 2024, went to New Zealand.
Which players have scored most runs in South Africa vs New Zealand matches?
Hashim Amla tops the Tests for South Africa with 1,154. In ODIs AB de Villiers of South Africa leads on 991, while in T20Is it is New Zealand’s Martin Guptill, on 424.
What is the biggest individual Test innings between these teams?
Stephen Fleming’s 262 for New Zealand, made from 423 balls at Newlands in the Test that began 27 Apr 2006. Rachin Ravindra, also of New Zealand, is next with 240 in Feb 2024.
When did South Africa and New Zealand last play?
In a T20I at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval on 25 Mar 2026. South Africa posted 187/4 and won by 33 runs.