Allen's stunning 100* off 33 balls puts New Zealand into final - report
New Zealand win by nine wickets with 43 balls to spare
Black Caps will face India or England in Sunday's final
New Zealand hit second-highest powerplay score of tournament (84-0)
McConchie takes two wickets in two balls as SA make poor start
Steven Finn
Former England fast bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Image source, Getty ImagesThe toss feels semi-significant. Both teams would have preferred to bowl first. South Africa are the stronger team in my opinion so New Zealand need a lot to go their way.
The first thing has gone their way, however.
Dawid Malan
Former England batter on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
South Africa will be favourites. However these knockout games are so important and South Africa have gone missing sometimes on those occasions.
Their past experience should put them in good stead.
Use 'Get Involved' to have your say
We have four semi-finalists from four different continents. Is this a first?
Peter, Torquay
Hello Peter - I enjoyed this question a lot.
It also happened in 2016 - New Zealand, England, India, and West Indies.
And at the Women's T20 World Cup in 2014, 2018 , 2020, and 2023.
Aiden Markram has led from the front for South Africa this T20 World Cup.
He is the leading run-scorer among the four sides still alive in the tournament, collecting 268 runs at a strike rate of 175.16.
At the 2024 tournament, Markram had struggled personally with only 123 runs across nine innings. His strike-rate was just 100.81.
But this time around, he has hit three half-centuries, including 86 off 44 as the Proteas cruised to a comfortable win against New Zealand in the group stage.
Use 'Get Involved' to have your say
South Africa are favourites here! They have been the best team at the World Cup, plenty of depth in the batting and decent bowling attack.
David, Liverpool
Image source, Getty ImagesSouth Africa and World Cups. You know the drill.
The Sydney rain in 1992, a run out and dropped catch in 1999, Grant Elliott's last-over charge in 2015 and the late collapse against India in Barbados in 2024.
All that hope, so often fancied to go all of the way, only for it to end in disappointment. But are times changing?
First there was the World Test Championship win against Australia at Lord's last June and now, after seven wins from seven at this T20 World Cup, coach Shukri Conrad is happy to carry the tag of "favourites" going into a semi-final against New Zealand in Kolkata on Wednesday.
"I'm glad that we're favourites because I always felt that as a South African team, you want to be able to play as a favourite because it's easy being an underdog," Conrad said.
Is now the time, despite everything that has come before, to trust South Africa to go all of the way?
South Africa are the only unbeaten side left in the competition.
Aiden Markram's side finished top of Group D before brushing aside India and West Indies in the Super 8s to reach the semi-finals with a game to spare.
Against Zimbabwe on Sunday, they flexed their squad depth, rotating their bowling attack and surviving the loss of three powerplay wickets to chase 154 with five wickets and 13 balls to spare.
New Zealand, who qualified from Group D in second place, reached the semi-finals on net run-rate after Pakistan failed to beat Sri Lanka by a big enough margin.
The Black Caps had qualification in their own hands heading into their final Super 8s match but England chased 43 runs off the final 18 balls to steal the two points and leave them reliant on Sri Lanka.
When the two sides met in the initial group phase, South Africa won by seven wickets, chasing 176 with 17 balls to spare. Marco Jansen picked up 4-40 while Markram smacked an unbeaten 86 (44).
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
You can follow ball-by-ball coverage of South Africa versus New Zealand on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
Click the 'listen live' button at the top of this page or head to BBC Sounds.
Image source, Getty ImagesSouth Africa captain Aiden Markram: "Everyone has contributed at some point in this tournament which is a good place to be as a team. We are pumped about a semi-final and hopefully we can start well with the bat and get a good score."
On the conditions: "There is a slight dew factor. We trained here last night and there was a bit of moisture. You can put runs on up front in a knock-out game and that is not always the worst thing. We need to start well and get a good score."
On changes: "Kagiso Rabada comes back in, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj too."
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner: "We are bowling first. We had a look at the pitch the other night and it looked pretty good. It should be flat again. So we need to make some inroads at the start.
"We know South Africa are a great outfit as they've shown throughout this tournament. Semi-finals are always a bit of pressure. If we can do our thing, put them under some pressure, and then we'll see what happens.
"Matt Henry has made back in time [from the birth of his second child]. We have got one change - Jimmy Neesham is back in for Ish Sodhi."
Image source, Getty ImagesGroup stage
Super 8s
Image source, Getty ImagesGroup stage
Super 8s
South Africa XI: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
New Zealand XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Jimmy Neesham, Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.
Image source, Getty ImagesMitchell Santner calls tails - he's right!
New Zealand win the toss and bowl.
Image source, Getty ImagesHello there!
It's time for the first semi-final at the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, with unbeaten South Africa facing New Zealand in Kolkata.
Both teams are bidding for maiden titles but only one will keep that dream alive and advance to Sunday's final.
Toss and team news coming up.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Markram,caught Mitchell, bowled Ravindra Markram, caught Mitchell, bowled Ravindra | 18 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 39 | 90.00 |
de Kock,caught Ferguson, bowled McConchie de Kock, caught Ferguson, bowled McConchie | 10 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 125.00 |
Rickelton,caught Allen, bowled McConchie Rickelton, caught Allen, bowled McConchie | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Brevis,caught Santner, bowled Neesham Brevis, caught Santner, bowled Neesham | 34 | 27 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 45 | 125.93 |
Miller,caught Mitchell, bowled Ravindra Miller, caught Mitchell, bowled Ravindra | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 100.00 |
Stubbs,bowled Ferguson Stubbs, bowled Ferguson | 29 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 120.83 |
Jansen,not out Jansen, not out | 55 | 30 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 47 | 183.33 |
Bosch,bowled Henry Bosch, bowled Henry | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 66.67 |
Rabada,caught Neesham, bowled Henry Rabada, caught Neesham, bowled Henry | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Maharaj,not out Maharaj, not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 100.00 |
Extras, no balls 1, wides 12, byes 0, leg byes 1, total 14 Extras, no balls 1, wides 12, byes 0, leg byes 1, total 14 | |||||||
Total,169 for 8 20.0 overs Total,169 for 8 20.0 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Henry | 4.0 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8.50 |
McConchie | 1.0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9.00 |
Ferguson | 4.0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7.25 |
Neesham | 3.0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 14.00 |
Santner | 4.0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6.25 |
Ravindra | 4.0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7.25 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
12 for 1 (1.4 overs) | de Kock |
12 for 2 (1.5 overs) | Rickelton |
55 for 3 (7.4 overs) | Markram |
77 for 4 (9.6 overs) | Miller |
77 for 5 (10.2 overs) | Brevis |
150 for 6 (18.1 overs) | Stubbs |
166 for 7 (19.3 overs) | Bosch |
166 for 8 (19.4 overs) | Rabada |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seifert,bowled Rabada Seifert, bowled Rabada | 58 | 33 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 42 | 175.76 |
Allen,not out Allen, not out | 100 | 33 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 62 | 303.03 |
Ravindra,not out Ravindra, not out | 13 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 118.18 |
Extras, no balls 0, wides 0, byes 0, leg byes 2, total 2 Extras, no balls 0, wides 0, byes 0, leg byes 2, total 2 | |||||||
Total,173 for 1 12.5 overs Total,173 for 1 12.5 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jansen | 2.5 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 18.70 |
Rabada | 3.0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9.33 |
Ngidi | 2.0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11.00 |
Bosch | 2.0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 17.50 |
Maharaj | 3.0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
117 for 1 (9.1 overs) | Seifert |