South Africa vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal Match No 1: South Africa have been by far the best team and the only unbeaten side in the T20 World Cup 2026 as they head into their semifinal clash against New Zealand at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. The last Proteas defeat came in the T20 World Cup 2024 final to India and they will be keen to make up for the loss by marching into another title clash.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have taken the hard and long route to the semifinal. They had the chance to seal a semifinal berth with win over England in Super 8 match at R. Premadasa Stadium last week but messed it up and had to wait for Pakistan to slip up in their final clash against Sri Lanka to make the last four. If Pakistan had won with a big-enough margin, the Mitchell Santner’s side would have been flying home and the semifinal would have taken place in Colombo instead of Kolkata.
Aiden Markram’s South Africa have never lost any of their five matches to the Black Caps in the T20 World Cup history and would not like to tarnish that record. In fact, SA’s latest win over NZ came in the league stages of T20 World Cup 2026 when they defeated them by seven wickets. Overall, in head-to-head record, South Africa have won 12 out of the 19 T20I matches against New Zealand while the Black Caps have won only 7.
“I wish cricket was that easy. 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,” Markram said in the pre-match press conference at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.
New Zealand also now have to re-adapt to the conditions in India after playing all of their Super 8 matches in Sri Lanka while South Africa have only played in Ahmedabad and Delhi so far in the last stage.
“I guess the conditions are probably going to be a little bit different to where we’ve been in Colombo, but I guess this stage of the tournament, everyone’s played a lot of cricket. Even some rest days in between is probably more beneficial. Guys had a good head out today. And I guess we watched the game the other night, which was a good indicator on what the surface will be like,” New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Two big teams, one exciting fixture!
Aiden Markram & Mitchell Santner are all set to lead their respective sides in the hunt for a ticket to the final!
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup Semi-Final 1 #SAvNZ | WED, 4th MAR, 5:30 PM pic.twitter.com/JdK5QU1B25
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 3, 2026
Here are all the details about South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1…
When is South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 going to take place?
The South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 will take place on Wednesday, March 4.
Where is South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 going to take place?
The South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 will be held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
What time will South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 start?
The South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 will begin at 7pm IST. The toss for the match will be held at 630pm.
Where can I watch South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 LIVE on TV in India?
The South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 will be available LIVE on TV on Star Sports network channels in India.
How can I watch livestreaming of South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 in India?
The South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 will be available for livestreaming on JioHotstar website and app in India.
South Africa vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal match no 1 Predicted 11
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie/Jacob Duffy, Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson