SA vs NZ Live Score, T20 WC semifinal: South Africa 28/2 (4 ovs), McConchie rattles Proteas

New Zealand almost had another but Rachin Ravindra dropped a rather easy chance. Markram miscued a shot off Lockie Ferguson's delivery and it went to Ravindraat mid-wicket. But he could not hold on to it.

South Africa have been pushed back to defensive mode with Cole McConchie striking twice to remove the two left-handers. Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis are on the crease.

Cole McConchie has two in two as he has rattled the Proteas. He gets another left-hander. Ryan Rickleton departs for a golden duck as he tries to hit it over the square on the shortish delivery. But he had no luck. South Africa 12/2.

Quinton de Kock had another good start and a poor finish. He tried to attack off-spinner Cole McConchie. And the Kiwi offie pulled his length back a little and as De Kock tried to pull, he mistimed and it was an easy catch for Lockie Ferguson. South Africa 12/1 in 1.4.

Quinton de Kock was waiting for that delivery from Matt Henry and he got it. Henry bowled right where De Kock is destructive, on the leg side, little shortish. De Kock had no trouble pulling it for a six.

Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram begin for South Africa. Markram has been in good form but De Kock has ebbed and flowed this T20 World Cup.

Unlike the India vs West Indies match, the anti-dew spray has not been used today. Hence, there is already dew. As the match progresses, it will be difficult for South African spinners.

New Zealand have Matt Henry back and they are going with James Neesham and Cole McConchie.

Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson

South Africa have made three changes as players resting in their last game have returned. The Proteas are going with just one specialist spinner in Keshav Maharaj.

Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has won an all-important toss at the Eden Gardens. And as expected, he has opted to bowl first in the semifinals.

Aiden Markram and Mitchell Santner make their way to the middle for the toss. Chasing would be the way to go with the dew factor.

Matt Henry has rejoined the squad and he is all set to play. He arrived back in Kolkata yesterday after leaving for home for the birth of his child. There were a lot of speculations whether he would be able to rejoin considering the flight cancellations, but he did. He is now marking his line-up.

In ICC white-ball events, things haven't really gone well for South Africa, especially in the knockouts. They were in a winning position against India in the final but ended up losing the game. Considering all those, will the Proteas be under pressure?

"We're not trying to do anything different tomorrow. Keep hammering away at the things that we've done well and that have got us here," captain Aiden Markram said.

Both teams have begun warming up with Ish Sodhi and Cole McConchie having a bowling session on the side pitches. 

Arrivals at Eden Gardens! 🏟#TheProteas are in the house as we strap in for Semi Final 1. Let’s do this! 😎🇿🇦#Unbreakable #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/I9ygEtHjy4

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) March 4, 2026

Both teams have arrived at the Eden Gardens. It is expected to be a full house today and the teams receive a rousing reception. 

South Africa and New Zealand get a rousing reception at the Eden Gardens #T20WorldCup #SAvsNZ pic.twitter.com/ynYjjiXxZ8

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) March 4, 2026

The Eden Gardens pitch for T20 World Cup 2026 has been batting-friendly throughout the tournament, producing high-scoring games with multiple 200+ totals. In the last match, India pulled off a 196-run chase against West Indies. It's a dry surface that favours batters, offering good bounce and pace, with potential for big scores if teams capitalise in the powerplay. However, it’s not a batting heaven. Pacers will have seam movement early on with the breeze coming from the Hoogly River. Spinners may also get some grip later. However, in a chase, spinners will struggle as the dew sets in after 9 PM. 

Despite South Africa's 5-0 record against New Zealand in T20 World Cup, across other ICC events, the Kiwis have had better luck. New Zealand knocked South Africa out of the ICC World Cup 2015 semifinals and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinals. Will the history repeat again?

Toss in minutes! 🔥 Eden Gardens already roaring…🚨🚨

REVENGE MODE FOR SA ??

My pick = SA wins toss & bats first! Yours? Drop it 👇 #SAvsNZ #T20WorldCup2026 #Semifinal #Wankhede #EdenGardens https://t.co/2ntHcdB8Ce pic.twitter.com/Jl0PRc4meY

— Muthuvel tweets (@Muthuvelpandiy) March 4, 2026

South Africa have a dominant record in T20Is over New Zealand. In 19 matches, the Proteas have won 12. The Kiwis have won just 7. In T20 World Cups, the record is even more skewed, with South Africa winning all five encounters. The two clashed in the group stage with South Africa winning by 7 wickets. These two teams have never faced off in a T20 World Cup knockout. So, New Zealand could pull one back.

• Matches: 19
• South Africa wins: 12
• New Zealand wins: 7
• In T20 World Cup: South Africa 5, New Zealand 0

New Zealand haven’t been flamboyant but they have not made many mistakes. The Kiwis can play spin better than most in the subcontinent and if it’s a batting heaven, they have the batters to dominate with big shots. All they need is to come together as a team and ditch the inconsistencies. 

Captain Mitchell Santner will be the key as he has excelled with economical spin, backed by Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, and others in a potent spin unit. Batters like Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Daryl Mitchell could exploit the batting-friendly Eden surface for big totals. 

However, with the dew a factor at the Eden Gardens, it could be a chasing game.

Even though South Africa will be the favourites on paper, in T20s, those things don’t matter. Aiden Markram & Co will have to start fresh. It’s a knockout game. So, the chances of correcting mistakes are less. The Proteas will depend heavily on Markram’s explosive start. Despite the inconsistencies of Quintin de Kock, he could be the one to set the tone. Backed by Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickleton, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen to finish things off, the Proteas have one of the best batting line-ups.

Their bowling has been potent, even though Kagiso Rabada has been out of form. Lungi Ngidi has been the one dominating the opponent batters. George Linde and Keshav Maharaj have done well in the spin bowling department, while Markram has been effective as well. All they need now is not choke and deliver the knockout blow.