South Africa and New Zealand, two teams who are yet to win their maiden ICC T20 World Cup, will go head to head in the first semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 4 March at 7 PM IST. Initially placed in the same group during the first group stage of the tournament, South Africa and New Zealand became the only teams from Group D proceeding to the next stage.
Dynamics have made the two teams face each other once again in the tournament and this time in a knockout match. Whoever wins the clash at Eden Gardens will make entry into the finals and keep their hopes of their first ICC trophy alive.
South Africa National Cricket Team vs New Zealand Cricket Team Timeline: T20 World Cup & History
South Africa played their first final in the 2024 edition of the tournament and failed to cross the line as Rohit Sharma’s India clinched the win in the last over at Barbados. New Zealand, however, played their last ICC T20 World Cup final in 2021 against Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Aaron Finch led Australia emerged victorious in the tournament and won their first ICC T20 trophy.
SA vs NZ T20 World Cup 2026 Clash
During the first group stage South Africa played against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad on 14 February. Proteas’ skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and decided to bowl first and the decision proved right for them as they won the match comfortably.
New Zealand managed to pile up 175 runs in 20 overs, with all the batters contributing. Mark Chapman top scored with a quick fire knock of 48 runs off 26 balls. South African pacers took the pressure off with wickets coming at regular intervals. Speedster Marco Jansen finished with 4 wickets off 4 overs and giving off 40 runs.
Despite putting up a commendable target, Kiwi bowlers failed to defend the total as the Proteas chased down the target with 17 balls to spare and a margin of 7 wickets. Skipper Markram led the charge with an unbeaten knock of 86 runs off 44 balls including 8 boundaries and 4 sixes.
Other batters including Quinton de Kock, Rickelton, Dewald Brevis and David Miller chipped in with important contributions to chase the score.
How both teams performed in the group stage ahead of the South Africa vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal
Having won all their matches in first and second group stages, South Africa is yet to lose their first match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. During the first group stage, South Africa defeated Afghanistan, New Zealand, Canada and UAE to finish at the top of the table. While in the second group stage, Aiden Markram’s side secured comprehensive wins against India, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
On the other hand, New Zealand lost only one match in the first group stage that came against South Africa. However, in the second group stage, New Zealand has won only one match against Sri Lanka. Out of three matches in the Super-8 stage, their first match against Pakistan was abandoned due to rain and the Kiwis faced a loss against England.
Here’s a tabular presentation of total matches played by both sides.
| Team | Total Matches | Matches Won | Matches Lost | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
