It all slipped away so quickly through the fingers of South Africa that they stood there at the end of the match, heads sunken to the ground in disbelief. A team that had huffed and puffed their way into the semi-final of the T20 World Cup crushed them by nine wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
South Africa, pitch-perfect till the semi-final of the competition, bombed badly on Wednesday, March 4, failing with both bat and ball. Defending a total of 169 runs, the Proteas were pummelled by New Zealand openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, who helped chase down the target in just 12.5 overs.
Edges flew to the boundaries, scoop shots connected cleanly from the middle of the bat, and catches either dropped short or landed in no man’s land – Lady Luck did not favour South Africa at all on the night. And there might be good reason for it.
South Africa made a jittery start to the game, losing Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton early in the powerplay. Aiden Markram and David Miller, two of the most senior campaigners in the South African side, had the responsibility of rescuing the Rainbow Nation from crisis, but they failed to make their chances count as well. Batting first after losing the toss, Markram, who had played exceptionally well in the tournament, ended up hitting straight to Daryl Mitchell at long-on, 13 balls after being dropped by Rachin Ravindra at mid-wicket.
Miller, South Africa’s knight in shining armour against India earlier in the tournament, ended up handing a simple high catch only two balls after Glenn Phillips had dropped a sitter at deep cover.
Luck does not favour those who make the occasion bigger than it is. Luck does not favour those who retreat into their shell the moment an important day arrives. Luck does not favour those who refuse to play the brand of cricket that has made them successful, especially on days of consequence.
If not for a sensational counter-attack from Marco Jansen and Tristan Stubbs at the back end of the innings, South Africa would not have crossed 160. Jansen, who has had a complicated relationship with the Eden Gardens in the past, scored 55* off just 30 balls, helping the Proteas reach a respectable total.
But Eden – where Jansen had leaked runs at eight per over in a low-scoring 2023 World Cup semi-final – came back to haunt him again. With the ball, Jansen conceded 29 runs in his first two overs in the powerplay, at a time when South Africa were desperately searching for early wickets.
There was no luck to be had for Jansen, who managed to find the edge twice, but one flew away for four while the other dropped just short of Ryan Rickelton at slip.
Those two overs set the tone for South Africa on Wednesday, as they failed to exert any pressure at all in the semi-final at the Eden Gardens.
FINN ALLEN, SEIFERT DEMOLISH SOUTH AFRICA
Finn Allen and Tim Seifert’s drives, pulls and scoops came straight off the middle of the bat. With every blow, the South African shoulders sank a little lower, with the misery finally ending in the 13th over through a lofted drive from Finn Allen – fittingly – which took him to 100* in the game.
Seifert hit 58 off 33 balls, taking New Zealand to 117 in the 10th over. By the time star pacer Kagiso Rabada finally breached Seifert’s defence, the game was effectively done.
Finn Allen, on the other hand, dominated both pacers and spinners to hit a match-winning century off just 33 balls, helping New Zealand book their first T20 World Cup final since 2021.
It was a telling indictment of the mental assurance that New Zealand possess, despite enduring several difficulties throughout this World Cup campaign.
First, they were nearly knocked out of the tournament after their loss to England in the Super 8s. Their presence in the semi-final depended on Pakistan not securing a win by a sufficient margin. The way Pakistan began their final Super 8s game against Sri Lanka, half the Kiwi team might have started packing their bags. But destiny intervened, and they were eventually able to board a flight to Kolkata.
To go from such severe uncertainty and then produce this kind of destructive performance requires immense mental resilience, and New Zealand showed that they had plenty of it.
The loss on Wednesday, marked yet another defeat for South Africa at the Eden Gardens, extending their horrible record since 2023.
The last time South Africa won a limited-overs match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata was against Ireland during the ODI World Cup 2011. They lost both their matches at the venue during the ODI World Cup 2023. Overall, the Proteas have won two out of six ODIs played at the venue and failed to win their first over T20I in Kolkata today.
MARKRAM MISSES THE TRICK
South Africa captain Aiden Markram, who was so meticulous in planning things against India, perhaps missed a trick or two at the Eden Gardens today.
Bowling against two right-handers, who love to hit pace, neither did Aiden introduce Keshav Maharaj early, nor did he give the ball to Lungi Ngidi instead of Jansen.
Maharaj, left-arm off spin bowler and one of the smartest guys in the international circuit, might have done well today.
Allen, who targetted the V both front and back of the pitch against pacers, could have been neutralised early on by the introduction of spin. However, by the time Maharaj came to bowl in the 9th over, a set Finn Allen hoicked him for a six over the cow corner. He tore into Maharaj once again in the 12th over, putting the final nail in South Africa’s coffin.
A rampaging Allen then looked in hurry, hitting Marco Jansen for 4,4,6,6,4, finishing the match off in a matter of moments. Allen needed 4 to complete his hundred when New Zealand needed 1 to win the game. A lofted drive through the V earned him the deserved century, taking the Kiwis to the final of the tournament.
DID PLAYING IN SRI LANKA HELP NEW ZEALAND?
All-rounder Rachin Ravindra, who stood on the other side when Finn Allen finished the game spoke to the broadcaster in the on-field interview. Rachin said that the experience of playing in slow turners really helped New Zealand as they were glad to receive flatter wickets and shorter dimensions in the semi-final today.
The Kiwis finally had a perfect game, bar their catching (which almost never happens), on Wednesday. They will take massive confidence from the win as they fly to Ahmedabad, after causing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
As they prepare to fly back, the coach and captain duo will once again sit down and revisit the fateful night at Eden. What went wrong will be analysed in detail — the toss, the strategy, the match-ups, the dropped chances. But deep down, they will know that this defeat was not about one moment.
It was about a night when their intensity dipped, when New Zealand surged ahead without hesitation, and when the pressure of the occasion returned to haunt them once more.
South Africa had been perfect until March 4. At Eden Gardens, where history already carried scars, the weight of another big moment proved too heavy again. And while New Zealand march to Ahmedabad brimming with belief, the Proteas are left with a familiar ache — one that speaks not of lack of talent, but of a semi-final that slipped through their fingers before they could steady themselves.
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