It’s the end of the road for the Proteas in this T20 World Cup, as the New Zealand Blackcaps have handed them a resounding drubbing with a spending all-round show.
Mitchell Santner won the toss and put SA in to bat, and it immediately paid dividends. Offspinner Cole McConchie proved a favorable matchup, as he dismissed the left-handed duo of Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in the 2nd over.
Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis tried to bring the innings back on track, but Markram holed out to Daryl Mitchell at long-on, giving Rachin Ravindra his first wicket.
Ravindra got another wicket when David Miller skied it to long-off, and Brevis was next to fall when he meekly chipped to extra cover off Jimmy Neesham.
At 77 for 5, the Proteas were in dire straits, but Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen managed to dig in and forestall a complete collapse.
After a few quiet overs, Jansen finally opened up and hit a couple of maximums, but it was Neesham in the 18th over that went for 22.
Just as Stubbs was finding his range, Lockie Ferguson knocked over his stumps. Jansen reached a 27-ball half-century, but a superb final over from Matt Henry would prevent any chance of reaching 180.
The Proteas were up the creek without a paddle for the entire batting innings, and things drastically changed for the worse when they bowled.
NZ openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert pillaged 84 runs in the Powerplay, and there was absolutely no sign of relenting. Anything too short or too full went to the boundary in a flash, and there was only one close call that resulted in a reprieve.
Kagiso Rabada took the only wicket, and it was too little too late at that stage. It was the Finn Allen show, as he raced to a 33-ball ton at his soon-to-be home ground.
The Kiwis hunted down 170 in 13 overs, and have made a serious statement before the Sunday final.
Tune in to tomorrow’s semifinal between India and England at Wankhede.
SA 169/8 in 20 overs (Jansen 55*, Brevis 34 – McConchie 1-0-9-2, Ravindra 4-0-29-2)
NZ 173/1 in 12.5 overs (Allen 100*, Seifert 58)
