Christchurch, March 25 (IANS) South Africa skipper Keshav Maharaj lauded the efforts and the hunger of young players as the team registered a 33-run win against New Zealand in the final T20I to seal the five-match series by 3-2 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Wednesday.

Batting first, South Africa posted 187/4 on the scoreboard from 20 overs, with Esterhuizen leading the charge with the bat. In reply, New Zealand were bundled out for just 154 runs in 20 overs and lost the match by 33 runs.

The Proteas were lagging behind by 2-1 after the first three matches, but then made a brilliant comeback and won the last two matches to clinch the series. Maharaj feels that the win will give crucial lessons to the youngsters who were playing international cricket for the first time.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for these youngsters to understand what international cricket is about. I think coming here, not a lot of people gave us credit with the young side that we had, but to see the hunger, desire, and passion, which you know to come back from 2-1 and clinch the series is super special. It just shows the depth in our system and how well the youngsters are sort of putting their hands up," Maharaj said in the post-match presentation.

"Like I said, I think going 2-1 down, probably not our best starting display, but to see the youngsters come through and put in two really good performances with the bat, I think as a captain, as a coaching staff, I think you can be really happy. We don't have the experience here, but to see how the guys played, it just looked like it was an easy transition into international cricket despite some pressure behind them," he added.

Five debutants took part in the series as main players were rested after the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, where South Africa lost to New Zealand in the semi-final.

--IANS

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