Wary Markram keeps unbeaten SA grounded ahead of NZ semis
- Last updated: March 4, 2026 | 08:57 ..
South Africa may be in red-hot form at the Twenty20 World Cup, but captain Aiden Markram said they will take nothing for granted in Wednesday’s semi-final against New Zealand, especially with his side moving to a new venue for them in the tournament.
The 2024 runners-up are the only unbeaten team, winning all seven matches, five of them in Ahmedabad, and the victories include a seven-wicket thumping of New Zealand in the group stage.
“I wish cricket was that easy,” Markram, who has often set the tone for his team in the powerplay, said with a wry smile at a press conference on Tuesday.
“New Zealand is a quality team, they’ve proved that over many years now.
“We had a good runout against them in the group stage. But both teams have played a lot of cricket since then, and it’s completely a fresh start tomorrow. I don’t think it’s as straightforward as just being able to repeat that again.”
Conditions at Eden Gardens are another variable. Markram said South Africa studied India’s win over West Indies on Sunday for clues and took a close look at the surface.
“I briefly walked out to the wicket. It looks pretty good again. I think it’s the darker soil. So we’ll have to not just wing it but come up with ways out in the middle after having seen a couple of balls... and back those plans from there.”
Markram said South Africa’s perfect run was down to their smart cricket, highlighting the calm decision-making coursing through the group and the influence of wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock.
“I think it’s more just around making really good decisions under pressure. We’ve got a lot of good experience in the group.
“Quinny reads conditions really well from behind the stumps, and that makes a massive difference for us. We get that around the group, and the guys come up with plans from there. Ultimately, you need to execute them. We don’t try to complicate too much.”
NZ’s Santner wants ‘perfect game’ to halt SA: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner wants his team to piece together their first ‘perfect game’ of the tournament when they face in-form South Africa in semi-final with a wound fresh in their minds.
South Africa remain the tournament’s only unbeaten team and their seven wins in a row include a seven-wicket thumping of New Zealand in the group stage.
While that loss still rankled, Santner said the familiarity bred from that clash left little room for surprises.
“We haven’t probably played the perfect game throughout this tournament. I guess that’s a good thing for us,” Santner told reporters on Tuesday. “I guess we can put it all together, put us in a pretty good position. “I think there’s no real hiding or secrets about what South Africa are going to bring for us. We know they’re going to probably roll out the same team... they probably know what we’re going to do as well.”
Having played all three Super Eights games in Sri Lanka, New Zealand are wary of how the pitch at the Eden Gardens would behave and are braced to adjust.
While 2024 runners-up South Africa appear more balanced on paper, Santner said the contest will hinge on who reads conditions fastest.
“It’s all up to the surface and adapting as quick as we can...they have kind of all bases covered,” he said. “That’s why they’re undefeated.”
Both teams are chasing a first men’s white-ball World Cup and Santner promised a full-throttle effort to reach Sunday’s final.
“We know the heartbreak of South Africa two years ago. I think again, they’re playing some very good cricket, as they’ve shown throughout this tournament.”
“We know South Africa are going to be a threat, as they’ve shown. We’re just going to go there and try to put some pressure on them at different stages of the game, and they’re going to do the same for us.”
New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry, who had returned home on paternity leave, will rejoin the squad on Tuesday night and Santner could not confirm if he would play in the semi-final.
Reuters