T20 World Cup semifinal: Unbeaten South Africa ‘fresh’ for New Zealand
Al Jazeera
South Africa were defeated finalists in 2024 and are no strangers to last-four exits, but take an unbeaten run to the semifinals.
South Africa captain Aiden Markram says his team’s win over New Zealand in the group phase will count for nothing in the T20 World Cup semifinal, which will be a “completely fresh start”.
The two teams clash at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens in the first semifinal on Wednesday, with both having never lifted a cricket World Cup in either the 20-over or 50-over formats.
South Africa are the only unbeaten side in the last four, and are trying to rid themselves of a reputation for choking in the final stages at World Cups.
They have been the team to beat in this edition and got the better of New Zealand by seven wickets in a group game in Ahmedabad on February 15.
“We had a good run against them in the group stages, but both teams have played a lot of cricket since then,” Markram told reporters on Tuesday.
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