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South Africa vs New Zealand Semifinal, ICC T20 World Cup 2026: South Africa posted a challenging total of 169/8 in their 20 overs after being put into bat first against New Zealand in the first semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, March 4. Matt Henry bowled a brilliant last over as he gave away just six runs and took a couple of wickets, dismissing Corbin Bosch (2) and Kagiso Rabada (0).

South Africa were off to a horrible start as they lost a couple of wickets in just the second over of the match. Cole McConchie dismissed Quinton de Kock (10) and Ryan Rickelton (0) cheaply on successive deliveries. There wasn't any big and impactful partnership up the order for the Proteas, and they were reduced to 77/5 in the 11th over. The recovery was made by Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen.

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The duo brought back the momentum for South Africa and stitched a 73-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Jansen looked in great touch and smashed a few crucial boundaries towards the end. He was the top run-getter for his team, having played an outstanding unbeaten knock of 55 runs in 30 balls on the back of two fours and five sixes. Dewald Brevis (34) and Stubbs (29) came up with promising efforts.

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50-plus partnerships for 6th wicket or lower in T20 WC playoffs

81* - Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (AUS) vs PAK, Dubai, 2021 SF

73 - Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs (SA) vs NZ, Kolkata, 2026 SF

68* - Angelo Mathews, Kumar Sangakkara (SL) vs PAK, Lord’s, 2009 Final

68 - George Bailey, Pat Cummins (AUS) vs WI, Colombo RPS, 2012 SF

54* - Carlos Brathwaite, Marlon Samuels (WI) vs ENG, Kolkata, 2016 Final

53* - Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson (AUS) vs PAK, Gros Islet, 2010 SF

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For New Zealand, Matt Henry, McConchie and Rachin Ravindra picked up two wickets each, whereas Lockie Ferguson and Jamie Neesham found a scalp each. They brought in Henry on the side to replace Ish Sodhi as the only change for the semifinal clash. On the other hand, South Africa introduced three changes, with Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj returning to the lineup.


South Africa vs New Zealand Playing XIs, ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal

South Africa: Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

New Zealand: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson


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