Kolkata, March 5: New Zealand has secured a place in the T20 World Cup 2026 final by decisively defeating South Africa by 9 wickets in the semi-final match held at Eden Gardens Stadium. Following this impressive victory, Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance.
After the match, Santner stated, “It feels great to win this match. Considering how strong South Africa is, performing like this in such a crucial game is very satisfying.”
New Zealand faced a setback in their last Super-8 match against England, losing by 4 wickets. However, they advanced to the semi-finals due to a superior net run rate compared to Pakistan.
On bouncing back from previous losses, Santner remarked, “Every time you step onto the field and face a defeat, you learn something. Today, our focus was on maintaining constant pressure. Taking wickets at regular intervals makes batting challenging.”
The captain entrusted the ball to Cole McConchie during the powerplay, who made an immediate impact by taking two wickets in his first over, putting South Africa under pressure.
Santner explained, “We had a specific plan for the first two overs, after which the bowlers had the freedom to operate. When Dewald Brevis came to bat, we knew he favored spin, so we thought it best to keep the ball away from him.”
Batting first, South Africa managed to score 169 runs, losing 8 wickets. In response, New Zealand achieved a remarkable victory, thanks to a 117-run opening partnership between Tim Seifert and Finn Allen.
Tim Seifert remained unbeaten with 58 runs off 33 balls, including 2 sixes and 7 fours, while Finn Allen scored a stunning 100 runs off 33 balls, hitting 8 sixes and 10 fours.
Praising his openers, Santner said, “It was special; honestly, it was great to watch that partnership. We were quite happy with a target of 170 runs, but anything can happen in T20. If we had lost wickets in the powerplay, it would have increased the challenge, but they (Allen and Seifert) played aggressively. Finn maintained a fantastic rhythm. A century in 33 balls is impressive.”
New Zealand will face off in the final match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8. Before the match, Santner noted, “It would be great if we could replicate this performance. The next ground is different; there are various factors like red soil and black soil. Overall, it was a fantastic performance. I’m not sure if it was a perfect game, but we were good in several phases. Today, we were solid throughout the match.”
