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4 min readKolkataMar 3, 2026 09:10 PM IST
South Africa skipper Aiden Markram in action during the practice session ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal in Kolkata. (PHOTO: AP)
There’s always a narrative around South Africa whenever it comes to ICC events with the Proteas more often than not considered the bridesmaid rather than the bride. In recent years though, the team have been tearing down that perception and painstakingly rebuilding their credibility brick by brick. If winning the World Test Championships in 2025 was the start, an unbeaten South Africa team holding aloft the T20 World Cup in 2026 could be the fairytale culmination. But to get to that ending, the Proteas still have two hurdles to cross — the first one being a high voltage semifinal against New Zealand at the iconic Eden Gardens where Aiden Markram and Co enter as firm favourites.
With the Proteas the only undefeated team left in the tournament, skipper Markram was asked if the unit was under a bit of pressure in case the law of averages got to them. The 31-year-old gave a composed answer, backing the tried and tested method they have been using throughout the tournament.
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“Yeah, I don’t know how it’s going to work out tomorrow night. None of us do. But you can look at it through various different lenses. If you want to look at it through that, then I don’t think you’d be a very clever man. If you’re sitting in our changing room, I think you want to look at it from a side where you bring in a lot of confidence into a must-win game and a lot of trust in the plans and the things that we’ve been doing well. So, it’s as simple as that for us. We’re not trying to do anything different tomorrow. Keep hammering away at the things that we’ve done well and that have got us here and if we can execute that well again tomorrow, we stand a chance,” he said in the pre-match press conference in Kolkata on Tuesday.
The two sides will renew hostilities for the second time in the 2026 T20 World Cup with their last encounter at Ahmedabad in the group stage won by South Africa. However, Markram said that this time around, it’s unlikely to be as straightforward as their last meeting with the pressure of the semifinal adding a new wrinkle to the proceedings.
“Yeah, I wish cricket was that easy,” he said with a laugh after he was asked if South Africa will field the same team that played against the Black Caps in the group stage. “Quality team New Zealand. 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 and it being a semi-final which is exciting as well. So, I don’t think it’s as straightforward as just being able to repeat that again. 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,” he added.
Sayak Dutta is Copy Editor (Sports) at The Indian Express and is based in Kolkata. He specializes in the coverage of football, cricket, and a variety of other sports. ... Read More
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