Former South African great Faf du Plessis and legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble have declared the winners of the South Africa vs New Zealand contest. The rapid-fire round also opines on several crucial aspects of the 1st semi-final at the Eden Gardens.
South Africa topped Group 1 of the Super 8, while New Zealand managed to finish second in Group 2. The first semi-final would hence mark the iconic clash of the titans, South Africa vs New Zealand, at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens Stadium.
The South Africa vs New Zealand semi-final will mark the start of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 knockouts. The two teams have been in good form; however, South Africa have entered the semis absolutely undefeated in this World Cup.
They were placed in probably one of the most challenging groups alongside New Zealand and Afghanistan. However, South Africa maintained their winning streak and did not give it up against the defending champions, India, or the in-form West Indies in the Super-8 stage as well.
New Zealand, on the contrary have lost two games on their way to the semis, one against South Africa in the group stage and the other against England in the Super-8. Considering their good form, whether South Africa could be considered the clear favourites was the question posed in front of the two greats.
We all know who Faf du Plessis would be backing; however, Kumble too looked very convinced and immediately raised his paddle in favour of the Proteas, calling them the absolute favourites.
We know who Faf du Plessis is backing in the first semi-final, but what does Anil Kumble think? ? pic.twitter.com/gjKCb1hsHk
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 3, 2026"Mitchell Santner should bring himself early against Aiden Markram" - Faf and Kumble agree to the special Markram hunt-down strategy
One of the questions in the rapid-fire round cited the importance of George Linde, the South African backup spinner against New Zealand, after English spinners had choked their flow of runs in the last game. Both experts quickly disagreed with it, quite obvious with the change in conditions between the Premadasa Stadium and the Eden Gardens.
However, both of them agreed on the fact that, unlike other teams, New Zealand needs to trust their pacers, especially Lockie Ferguson, during the death overs. Santner's wrong call of handing the 18th over to Glenn Phillips had cost New Zealand the match and could have knocked them out of the semi-finals had Pakistan won with the required margin against Sri Lanka.
The highlight of the rapid fire remained the two experts agreeing to the matchup between the two captains, Mitchell Santner and Aiden Markram, in the South Africa vs New Zealand clash. Markram has been the star of great starts for South Africa, and handing spin early could be tricky, as it was seen against Sikander Raza the last day.
"Glenn Phillips is invincible," Anil Kumble declares
Speaking of game factors, they did not agree to the fact that Marco Jansen could make a huge impact with his powerplay spell; however, they cited that his contributions would be crucial. South Africa have been a standout with all their pacers hitting form, from Kagiso Rabada and Corbin Bosch to Lungi Ngidi, who has been on a rampage.
The plan to trouble Dewald Brevis with short balls early in his innings could come out as handy, as agreed by the experts Faf du Plessis and Anil Kumble. Brevis' wickets would, however, end no woes, as he is followed by David Miller and Tristan Stubbs in the middle order.
However, while speaking of Glenn Phillips, who is evidently strong against pace, the two experts cited that targeting him with spin would also not matter a lot, considering the way he has batted well against spin.
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