KOLKATA: South Africa captain Aiden Markram has urged his team to remain composed and stick to their approach as they prepare for the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against New Zealand at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
The Proteas enter the knockout stage as the only unbeaten side in the tournament, having secured seven wins from seven matches.
South Africa, runners-up in the 2024 edition, are enjoying an impressive run in T20 World Cups, winning 15 of their last 16 matches in the competition. The strong form has placed them among the favourites for the title.
Despite the expectations, Markram dismissed the significance of outside opinions, stressing that the team is focused on executing its own game plan.
“With regards to being favourites or not, that’s all different people’s opinions,” Markram said ahead of the semi-final.
Good games
“(For) us as a team, (we want to) really just try to focus on putting good games of cricket together and playing that exciting brand that we’ve been trying to play the last 18 months or so, and if it comes off, then hopefully it’s entertaining and can sort of put us into a good position.”
He added that the side does not intend to alter its approach for the knockout clash.
“We are not trying to do anything different tomorrow. We’ll keep hammering away at the things that we have done well and that have got us here. If we can execute that well again tomorrow, we stand a chance.”
South Africa defeated New Zealand by seven wickets earlier in the tournament during the group stage in Ahmedabad. However, Markram cautioned that the earlier result would have little bearing on the semi-final.
“I wish cricket was that easy. New Zealand are a quality team. They’ve proved that over many years now, and we had a good run out against them in the group stages, but both teams have played a lot of cricket since then, and it’s a completely fresh start tomorrow,” he said.
Semi-final
“It being a semi-final is exciting as well, so I don’t think it’s as straightforward as just being able to repeat that. There are a lot of variables in this game, but the boys are very excited for the opportunity to play in a semi-final against a good team like New Zealand, and we’ll try to bring our best game to the front again.”
South Africa have played five of their seven matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, making Wednesday’s fixture their first outing at Eden Gardens during this tournament.
Although unfamiliar with the venue, Markram expressed confidence in the team’s ability to adjust quickly.
“We have 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,” he said.
“We get that around the group and the guys come up with plans from there and ultimately you need to execute them.”
For the uninitiated, South Africa have never played a T20 International at Eden Gardens and will be aiming for a winning debut at the historic venue as they push for a place in the final.
