New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has brushed off the underdog label, saying both sides are “in the same boat” as the Black Caps to face unbeaten South Africa for a place in the T20 World Cup final.
South Africa have emerged as the most complete team in the tournament so far. After being bowled out in two Super Overs by Afghanistan earlier in the competition, the Proteas reeled off seven consecutive wins – including a group-stage victory over New Zealand in Ahmedabad – to reach the semi-finals as the only unbeaten team.
New Zealand’s path was less straightforward. A win against Pakistan in the Super Eights and a defeat to England left them with minimal room for error and their progression ultimately depended on sheer pace.
“South Africa look like a very good outfit as they showed and I think they are in the same boat as us,” Santner said on the eve of the semi-final at the Eden Gardens.
“Now it’s one game to the final, you know, and it will be the same for India and England (in the other semi-final at the Wankhede on Thursday).”
New Zealand’s only ICC trophies remain the World Test Championship and Champions Trophy 2000, but their record in global tournaments reflects continued competitiveness.
This is their fourth T20 World Cup semi-final – after 2007, 2016 and 2022 – while they have also finished as runners-up twice in ODI World Cups (2015 and 2019).
Santner said his team is used to being labeled as the underdogs.
“We’re kind of used to the brand now. It’s whether you want to call it an underdog or not. I think for us, everyone’s goal is to get on the podium during the tournament. We’re here now and we have to adapt as quickly as possible to what’s ahead of us.”
“I think at this stage it’s just a knockout game and that’s at the end of the day and whoever really shows up will go through,” he added.
The left-arm spinner highlighted that maintaining a strong South African batting line-up would be critical.
“There’s no real hiding or secret about what South Africa is going to bring and they probably know what we’re doing too. So again, it’s all on the surface and we’re adapting as quickly as we can.
“But you know it’s not just the top order. But their middle order also contains a lot of power.
“So restricting them to 180 would be a good score instead of 220, but I guess we’ll wait and see. But yes, they have all their bases covered. That’s why they’re unbeaten in this tournament,” he added.
South Africa also carry emotional scars from past ICC events, including a semi-final and runner-up finish in the 2024 edition. Santner noted that both teams are fully aware of the stakes.
“They’re the two teams that have been in and around them for a long time. I think we know the heartbreak of South Africa two years ago.”
“They are playing very good cricket as they have shown during this tournament – the only team unbeaten. We have been playing decent cricket as well.”
“I think it’s whoever turns up tomorrow, whoever, helps his condition as best he can. We know South Africa will be a threat as they’ve shown.”
“We’re just going to go out there and try to put some pressure on them at different stages of the game and they’re going to do the same for us.”
New Zealand’s semi-final qualification was far from assured after losing to England and their fate hinged on the Sri Lanka-Pakistan clash.
They eventually progressed after Sri Lanka won their last match to knock Pakistan out of contention.
“The pool we played in, we’re in Chennai and Ahmedabad, different pitches, different conditions, then he went to Colombo which was very different,” Santner said, stressing the need to adapt to different surfaces.
“It’s a very fine margin at the end of the day that separates a lot of teams, especially as we’ve seen throughout the tournament, there have been potential issues throughout the competition.”
“You just want to get through the next stage, whether it’s the first stage, obviously the Super Eight, and now it’s a semi-final, it’s one game and you can potentially move on. We’re here now, which is ideal. But again, we have a challenge tomorrow – a very good team.”
In the conditions in Kolkata, Santner expects a balanced run-up, but a stressed performance will be decisive.
“It’s quite a flat wicket. The spinners still play a role, the seamers too and the pitch also plays a huge role in these conditions. I think it’s probably not as dewy at this time of year.”
“There was a little dew in the second inning. But I think whatever you do first, you do it well and you put yourself in a pretty good position.”
The New Zealand captain also expressed his enthusiasm for the atmosphere.
“Obviously the fans are one of the reasons you play the game. And, you know, they’re driving the trucks to India to watch, and that’s going to be, you know, tomorrow night, no doubt.”
“So yeah, guys are excited about it. You know, some guys first, World Cup, first semi-final, you know, in front of a lot of people. So it’s exciting,” he signed off.
