Tim Robinson's 75 not out saved New Zealand from disaster and inspired them to a big 21-run win over South Africa at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday to give the Black Caps a perfect start to their Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series campaign.

New Zealand looked set for well below par with their 70 for 5 in the 10th over, but Robinson found the perfect partner in South African-born debutant Bevon Jacobs. The pair put on an unstoppable 103 for an unbroken partnership that changed the game and gave the New Zealand bowlers a defendable total of 173.

Robinson described his feelings as “addictive” after the match. His 75 not out was off 57 balls, with six boundaries and three sixes, making it his best performance in a T20 international. This is his breakthrough performance since the 25-year-old had scored only one half-century in his last 10 T20I performances, and it was even more important considering that he represents a team that had lost its last 32 T20I games.

The partnership strategy was simple but effective. "The way we thought about it was that the longer we spent at the crease, the easier runs would come," Robinson explained afterward. "We couldn't quite afford to lose many more wickets. We tried to take it as deep as we possibly could and then run hard to the long side."

Jacobs proved an ideal foil on his international debut, contributing an unbeaten 44 from 30 balls with three sixes. The partnership became New Zealand's second-highest sixth-wicket stand in T20Is and only the eighth century partnership for the sixth wicket or lower in men's T20I cricket.

South Africa got off to a good start with Lhuan-dre Pretorius, a golden duck in the opening match, coming out with vengeance as he smacked 27 off 17 deliveries, including five fours. But the dismissal of Pretorius by Matt Henry started a pattern that had just become too common, and the Proteas were also at 62/5 at the end of the ninth over.

Dewald Brevis (35) and George Linde (30) put up some fight by scoring 39 runs together, but it could not help them in comparison to the game-deciding stand that had come to the Kiwis' rescue. South Africans lost by 21 runs with 10 balls left as they were dismissed at 152 after 18.2 overs of play.

New Zealand's bowling attack shared the wickets effectively, with Jacob Duffy leading the way with figures of 3 for 20. Henry supported his key initial inroad with a rock-solid accomplishment of 3 for 34, and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi had two wickets in support: 2 for 34. Robinson acknowledged the quality of South Africa's bowling attack, saying, "The Proteas bowling was exceptional. Their lengths and the use of the long side was really impressive and they bowled really well with the newer ball."

The victory marked a winning start for new head coach Rob Walter, who ironically achieved his first success against South Africa, the team he previously coached. Walter took over the Black Caps role last month and was forced to work with a squad missing several regulars, including Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell, and Glenn Phillips, who remained involved in Major League Cricket commitments.

This outcome places New Zealand well in the tri-series table with the two points acquired. South Africa had one win and one loss after the tournament opener, when they beat Zimbabwe. The format involves each team playing each other twice, with the first two teams going to the final, which is on July 26.

Looking ahead to Friday's encounter with Zimbabwe, Robinson emphasized the need for tactical flexibility: "Zimbabwe are going to pose a different challenge on Friday and we pride ourselves on trying to adapt as quick as we possibly can."

With the T20 World Cup qualification scenarios setting in, the tri-series is a crucial preparation for the three teams. To New Zealand, this performance validated that they were deep and strong despite players missing. Robinson's emergence as a reliable middle-order anchor provides another option in their T20 setup, while Jacobs' confident debut suggests the talent pipeline remains strong.