New Zealand’s openers, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, played well against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final.
New Zealand Opt to Bowl First
Mitchell Santner, New Zealand’s captain, won the toss and decided to bowl first against South Africa. Matt Henry was back in the New Zealand team, while Jimmy Neesham replaced Ish Sodhi.
Santner said the pitch looked good. He added that they needed to put South Africa under pressure.
South Africa’s Line-up Changes
South Africa made changes to their team as well. Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj returned to the side, having been rested for the previous match against Zimbabwe.
South Africa’s captain, Aiden Markram, said that everyone had contributed at some stage. He hoped they could start well with the bat and put a good score on the board.
Pitch Conditions at Eden Gardens
Pommie Mbangwa and Aaron Finch provided a pitch report. They noted that the square boundaries were at 62 and 66 metres, and the straight boundary at 74 metres. They also observed cracks along the off-stump line for right-handed batters, which might cause movement and inconsistent bounce with the new ball.
They added that the pitch, which was used for the India-West Indies Super Eights clash, was expected to play true once the shine wore off. Finch mentioned that the groundsman had said there was minimal dew in the previous match and more of it was likely for this knockout clash.
Playing XIs
The teams lined up as follows:
- New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (captain), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson
- South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi
The winner of this clash will qualify for the final to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.