Hamilton, March 17 (NationPress) A systematic all-round effort enabled New Zealand to secure a decisive victory against South Africa in the second T20I, tying the five-match series at 1-1 at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday.

After being invited to bat first, New Zealand established their innings with a steady contribution from Devon Conway (60 off 49), who anchored the top order and ensured a robust platform for the hosts. The opener adeptly rotated the strike and found crucial boundaries, allowing New Zealand to bounce back whenever South Africa's bowlers made inroads.

South Africa claimed wickets at regular intervals through their pace and spin options, stifling the hosts during the middle overs. Nevertheless, New Zealand's batters kept the run rate steady, highlighted by a quick-fire 21 off 12 balls from Nick Kelly and a rapid 20 off 14 balls from captain Mitchell Santner.

In the final stages of the innings, the hosts accelerated, taking advantage of some loose deliveries to add valuable runs in the death overs. The late surge from Cole McConchie (18 off 12) and Josh Clarkson (26 not out off nine balls) was pivotal in setting a challenging total, applying pressure on the visitors as they began their chase.

In pursuit of a modest target, South Africa started cautiously with Wiaan Mulder and Connor Esterhuizen at the crease. Mulder brought excitement early on with a powerful six off Kyle Jamieson, while Esterhuizen also hit a six against Lockie Ferguson. Despite sporadic boundaries, New Zealand's bowlers maintained tight control, denying the visitors a strong start.

The breakthrough came when Ben Sears dismissed Esterhuizen, who was caught at backward point, allowing the hosts to tighten their grip on the match. Captain Santner struck again by removing Mulder, who sliced a cut straight to Conway in the ring.

Rubin Hermann briefly countered by hitting Santner for a six and a four, but his promising innings concluded when James Neesham had him caught by Ferguson in the deep. Santner continued to impact the game by dismissing Jason Smith, leaving South Africa in a precarious position during the middle overs.

As wickets continued to tumble, the visitors struggled to form partnerships. Cole McConchie and Sears contributed with vital strikes as New Zealand's bowlers exerted relentless pressure.

George Linde provided some late resistance with a rapid cameo, hitting multiple sixes to briefly rekindle South Africa's hopes. However, his entertaining innings of 33 off just 12 balls ended when Ferguson induced a mistimed pull, safely caught by McConchie at long-on, sealing the victory for New Zealand.

With this win, New Zealand achieved a comprehensive triumph to level the series as they head into the third T20I of the five-match series.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 175/6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 60, Josh Clarkson 26*; Wiaan Mulder 2-14, Gerald Coetzee 1-28) defeated South Africa 107/10 in 15.3 overs (George Linde 33, Rubin Hermann 19; Ben Sears 3-14, Lockie Ferguson 3-16) by 68 runs.