The 2026 T20 World Cup semi-finals begin on Wednesday with South Africa taking on New Zealand, while Proteas head coach Shukri Konrad believes there will be “no added pressure” despite their perfect five-match record against New Zealand in the tournament, including a seven-wicket win during the group stage.

Conrad’s side are the only unbeaten side in this edition, having beaten Zimbabwe by five wickets on Sunday and counting captain Aiden Markram – averaging around 54 runs per match – among the potential game-changers in their form.

“Semi-finals are enough pressure,” reasoned Konrad ESPN. “Playing New Zealand’s top side is enough pressure.

“What do you do with that pressure and how do you change the pressure. I’m glad we’re favorites because I’ve always felt that, as a South African team, you want to be able to play as favourites.

“It’s easy to be the underdog. The expectation isn’t that big or that much. Now we’ve got the (favorite) tag, which we don’t really talk about much.

“If we can keep doing what we’re doing – and (we) need a bit of luck along the way – hopefully that will pay off for us.”

New Zealand’s chances of an upset could rest on spinners Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra, with Ravindra reaching an economy of 9.78 in seven matches and claiming nine wickets.

Lungi Ngidi took 12 wickets for South Africa and Marco Jensen took 4/40 against the Kiwis last time out, while Tim Seifert scored 216 for New Zealand.

“It’s just a great representation of the work those guys have put in,” New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said of his team’s achievement, calling the semi-final spot “a great privilege” and praising South Africa’s “extraordinarily good cricket”.

“We had a couple of days where our cricket wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be, but I think we played some great cricket that gave us this opportunity to get to the semi-finals. I’m proud of every one of the boys.”

Having met last time in Ahmedabad, the teams will clash on a pitch in Kolkata that should be high scoring.

“It really suits us because it gives us a chance to adapt to those situations a lot faster, which is something we’ve done well and done well,” Walter said.

“We believe we can beat them. All it takes is one bad day for a team that is playing well. We need to be ready and play our best cricket.”

South Africa vs New Zealand Team News

Walter expects fast bowler Matt Henry to return for the semi-final, having returned to New Zealand for the birth of his second child.

“We first and foremost just hope that everything goes smoothly with the birth of her baby and that she’s able to celebrate with her family,” Walter said.

“If everything works as planned and the stars align, he should be back a day before the semi-final. If that doesn’t happen, we have covered all contingencies.”

If Henry does not play, Jacob Duffy is likely to take his place. Kyle Jamieson is a pace option.

Michael Bracewell has missed the tournament with a left-calf injury, and Lockie Ferguson is also managing a calf problem but is expected to lead the attack alongside Santner.

David Miller has played a key role for South Africa despite pre-tournament adductor tension.

Tony Di Jorzi (hamstring) and Donovan Ferreira (fractured clavicle) were injured earlier in the tournament and were replaced by Ryan Rickleton and Tristan Stubbs.

New Zealand vs South Africa Line Up Predictions

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickleton, Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

How to Watch New Zealand vs South Africa: TV Channel, Live Online Stream

New Zealand vs South Africa starts at 13:30 GMT on Wednesday.

This T20 The World Cup is live in the UK Sky Sports. Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a one-day membership, £28 for a 12-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.

For coverage elsewhere in the world, have details of your local rights holder here.

New Zealand vs South Africa: T20 World Cup Predictions

of South Africa With compelling form and a superior squad, they are unlikely to live up to their critics’ accusations that they remain doubtful when the stakes are near their highest.

The winner will go to either India or England, who will face each other in Mumbai on Thursday (13:30 GMT).