Kolkata: South Africa captain Aiden Markram has called for calm and simplicity as they prepare to face New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
The Proteas head into the knockout stages as the tournament’s only unbeaten team, boasting a perfect record of seven wins from seven matches.
The 2024 runners-up are in the midst of a remarkable run, with 15 wins in their last 16 T20 World Cup matches. This strong streak has established them as one of the favorites to lift the trophy.
However, Markram was quick to play down external expectations, insisting the team’s focus remains firmly on their own performance.
“As far as favorites or not, that’s different people’s opinions,” Markram said ahead of the semi-final.
“(We’re) as a team, (we want to) put together good games of cricket and try to focus on playing that fantastic brand of cricket that we’ve been trying to play for the last 18 months and if that comes out, it will be pleasing and hopefully put us in a good position.”
He stressed the importance of consistency: “We’re not trying to do anything different tomorrow. We’re going to keep doing what we do well and keep hammering away at the things that got us here. If we can do it again tomorrow, we’ve got a chance.”
South Africa beat New Zealand by 7 wickets in the group stage match at Ahmedabad. However, the skipper was adamant that the earlier result would count for little in the high-pressure environment of the semi-finals.
“I wish the cricket was a lot easier. New Zealand are a quality team. They’ve proved that over the years 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 new start tomorrow,” Markram said.
“It’s also exciting that it’s a semi-final, so I don’t think it’s as straightforward as repeating it. There are a lot of variables in this game, but the boys are really excited for the opportunity to play in the semi-final against a good team like New Zealand and we’ll try to bring our best game forward again,” he added.
Having played five of their seven matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, South Africa will have their first encounter at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
While the venue presents a new challenge, Markram has demonstrated his team’s ability to adapt quickly.
“We’ve got a lot of good experience in the team. Quinny reads the conditions well from behind the stumps and that makes a big difference for us,” he said.
“We get it around the team and guys come up with plans from there and ultimately you have to execute them.
For the uninitiated, South Africa have never played a T20 International at the iconic Eden Gardens and will be determined to get off to a winning start at the venue as they aim to book their place in the final.