South Africa players during the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 in Kolkata. (AP photo) NEW DELHI: South Africa’s dream run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 came to a screeching halt on Wednesday night when New Zealand handed them a crushing nine-wicket defeat in the semi-finals. And head coach Shukri Conrad didn’t hold back in describing what transpired.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Speaking after the match, Conrad dismissed suggestions that South Africa were “choking” under pressure – a mark that has dogged them at global tournaments for decades.“I don’t know if it was the choking tonight. I thought it was the bloody romp,” Conrad said bluntly. “You had to have a sense of smell in the game to suffocate. We didn’t have a sense of smell.”
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Chasing a competitive 170, New Zealand made a mockery of the target. Opener Finn Allen produced a historic attack, smashing an unbeaten 100 off just 33 balls – the fastest century in the history of the tournament – while Tim Seifert hammered a 33-ball 58. The chase was wrapped up in just 12.5 overs, leaving South Africa stunned.Conrad even dipped into his native Afrikaans to summarize the extent of the defeat.“We got a real ‘snotklap’ tonight,” he said. “That’s Afrikaans for a real hide, a slap you can’t see. That was it.”New Zealand bowlers had laid the platform earlier. Cole McConchie struck twice in the second over, removing Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in consecutive deliveries. The spinners then tightened the screws as South Africa’s middle order – including Aiden Markram, David Miller and Dewald Brevis – failed to gain momentum.A late counter-attack from Marc Jansen, who smashed an unbeaten 55 off 30 balls, and Tristan Stubbs helped South Africa reach 169, but the total was nowhere close.“They strangled us up front and we never got any momentum going,” admitted Conrad. “A hell of a lot didn’t work out tonight – but that was probably forced because they were so good.”Despite the tough loss, Conrad said he remains proud of his team, which entered the semifinals as the tournament’s only undefeated team with seven straight wins.“I thought we did some exceptional things during the tournament,” he said. “Not many people gave us a chance to get to the semi-finals when we were leaving home. I’m incredibly proud of the lads – even if that’s no consolation now.”
