South Africa were outclassed by New Zealand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
South Africa were outclassed by New Zealand in the first semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday (March 4).
Asked to bat first, the Proteas posted a fighting total of 169/8 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to Marco Jansen’s stunning half-century (55* off 30) after being reduced to 77/5 at one stage.
In reply, Finn Allen smashed the fastest century in T20 World Cup history, off just 33 balls, to help the Kiwis overhaul the target of 170 with nine wickets and 43 deliveries to spare.
After the loss, South African skipper Aiden Markram admitted that it was simply a night where very little went his side’s way as the rampant Kiwis didn’t only end their unbeaten run but knock them out of the tournament.
“I think you look at conditions early and they bowled really well up front. Ball didn't quite feel like coming on, some were just stopping on the wicket and some were hitting quite low on the bat and they made scoring really tough and through that pressure builds and you lose wickets unfortunately,” Markram said at the post-match presentation.
Cole McConchie, Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry picked up two wickets each for the Black Caps.
“So give credit to their bowling unit and obviously with the bat, someone plays an innings like that, don't think you will come out on the right side of the result many times as a fielding team,” Markram added.
The captain felt there was still hope after the end of first innings. “To get to 170 was a great effort to be fair. At the halfway point we really felt like we had a sniff,” he said.
That hope was shattered in the powerplay itself as Allen and Tim Seifert (58 off 33) launched a brutal counterattack on the Proteas bowling attack.
“But then, as it goes in T20 cricket.. (in) the powerplay (they) got off to a flyer and can't protect every boundary unfortunately, and yeah they got away and then from there it was really hard to pull it back.”
“So we give massive credit to Finn Allen's knock, Tim Seifert's knock to kill the game as early as they did, and yeah unfortunately, it was just that bad night for us tonight,” Markram stated.
Reflecting on what could have been done differently, Aiden Markram suggested that they could have made a quicker tactical adjustment with the bat.
“It's hard to say right now. We'll reflect as the group. I think we expected the wicket to play really well. It looked pretty good to the eye, so potentially just adapt a bit quicker with the bats and go back to maybe a bit more old school approach, set it up and try to scrape your way to 190, and maybe you'll be in the game from there,” he remarked.
Despite the setback, Markram stood firmly behind his squad. “So yeah, we'll reflect as a group. Obviously disappointed with the result, but very proud of this group of guys who have played some really good cricket throughout this comp, and it's just an unfortunate evening really.”
“Yeah, I think you let the emotions settle first and foremost. Once they have, we'll have a discussion as a group and all you do is you break down the game and try and find the areas that could have been better. Get back on the horse and you try and improve as a group and as individuals, and hopefully that puts you in good stead for the future. So yeah, again, hugely disappointed. It's a big... not a slap in the face, but it feels like it. But because of that, ultimately, we will have to come out stronger and be better as a team moving forward,” he concluded.