&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "T20 World Cup 2026 | 'Wasn't a choke': SA coach Conrad shares assessment on numbing loss vs New Zealand")
South Africa were handed a proper beating in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final by New Zealand on Wendesday (Mar 4) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The loss means that the Proteas, only unbeaten side in the tournament before the semis, go home after just one loss while New Zealand move to the final on Sunday (Mar 8). The loss opened the 'choking' can of worms for South Africa but head coach Shukri Conrad thinks that wasn't the case. Chasing 170, New Zealand almost made a mockery of the target, reaching their in just 12.5 overs with nine wickets in hand. Finn Allen was the wrecker-in-chief, scoring unbeaten 100 off just balls.
SA coach denies chocking claims after being trashed by NZ in T20 World Cup 2026 semi
Known for not meancing the words, South Africa head coach Conrad gave his brutal assessment of the loss at the post-match press conference, and said: "I don't know if tonight was a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping."
He went on to explain his logic and said: "I think in order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn't have a sniff. In South Africa, we say we got moered snotklap, also a South African word meaning a real hiding."
How SA's campaign was derailed?
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On their biggest night in the white-ball format since losing to India in 2024 T20 World Cup final, South Africa buckled under pressure, losing half their side in 10.2 overs for just 77 on board after being asked to bat first. Marco Jansen (55 off 30 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (29 off 24 balls) added 73 runs in about next eight overs to take the score to 150. Some more meaty blows by Jansen took the final score to 169/8 in 20 overs - still about 40 runs short on a pitch which got better in the second half.
When New Zealand came to bat, they played like nothing to lose while they had a place in the final on the line. Kiwi openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert added 84 runs in the powerplay itself, taking the match all but away from the Proteas. By the time Seifert departed for a nice-looking 33-ball 58, NZ needed only 53 runs in almost 11 overs - and they took just 3.4 overs to score them.
