South Africa’s impressive unbeaten run at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 came to an end on Wednesday, March 4, as New Zealand delivered a dominant nine-wicket victory in the first semi-final at Eden Gardens.
The Proteas, who entered the knockout stage as the form team of the tournament with seven straight wins, were restricted to 169/8 after being sent in to bat.
New Zealand then chased the target with ease, reaching 173/1 in just 12.5 overs to book their place in Sunday’s final, their second T20 World Cup summit clash after 2021.
The match belonged to Black Caps opener Finn Allen, who unleashed a blistering unbeaten 100 off only 33 balls, the fastest century in Men’s T20 World Cup history.
His explosive innings, featuring aggressive strokeplay against South Africa’s bowlers, sealed a comprehensive win and highlighted New Zealand’s clinical performance in all departments.
South Africa coach Shukri Conrad was brutally honest in his post match assessment, rejecting suggestions of a “choke” in the knockout phase.
I don’t know if tonight was a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping. We got our arses kicked,” he said:
In order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn’t have a sniff.
Using colourful South African slang, Conrad added:
In South Africa, we say we’d get moered. Tonight, we got a proper snot klaaped, meaning his side suffered a real hiding.
Despite the heavy defeat, Conrad pointed to several positives from the campaign. Captain Aiden Markram topped the Proteas’ run scoring with 286 runs, while pacemen Lungi Ngidi (12 wickets), Corbin Bosch, and Marco Jansen (11 wickets each) featured among the tournament’s leading wicket-takers.
He expressed pride in the team’s achievements, noting that few expected them to reach the semi-finals given their form before the event.
I think there’ll be enough people that are going to be jumping on the bandwagon,But yeah, we did so many special things. I’m so proud of these guys.
New Zealand will now face the winner of today’s second semi final between India and England in the final on March 8 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
For South Africa, the loss ends another strong tournament run without lifting the trophy, but Conrad’s candid words underscored a team outplayed on the day rather than one that faltered under pressure.