New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): Following his side’s win over Zimbabwe to end the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup unbeaten, South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad spoke on the pressure heading into the semifinal against New Zealand and also took a hilarious ‘cupcake’ jibe on being asked about shedding the ‘chokers’ tag, so long associated with the Proteas due to them often fizzling out in ICC events knockout stages.
South Africa continued their dominant run, as they overcame an all-round Sikandar Raza show to secure a five-wicket win over Zimbabwe at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. South Africa will be playing New Zealand at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on March 4 and hoping to complete the unfinished business: capturing the T20 World Cup on Indian soil, the team that defeated them in 2024 final at Barbados. After their maiden world title win across formats in form of ICC World Test Championship aganst Australia last year, the boost in confidence and morale is visible in team’s no-holds-barred performances and positive body language.
Speaking during the post-match presser, Conrad admitted while pressure is always there, it is important what you do with it and how you shift it to the opponents. His cupcake jibe was likely a sly dig at a promo aired before the India-South Africa T20 WC Super Eight clash, in which an actor playing the character of South African fan chokes on a cupcake.
“There is always pressure. I think it’s what you do with that pressure and how you shift the pressure. As for the C word, I think there’s another one for it, cupcakes. I thought we kind of enjoyed that. But no, there is always pressure, and it is really about embracing that pressure. And we do not do things any differently. We are going to prepare exactly the same way for New Zealand. Whether we start as favourites, probably because we are the only unbeaten side in the competition. But I do not know if that adds to the pressure. I think the semi-final is pressure enough. Playing a top side New Zealand is pressure enough. So there is no added pressure,” he said.
“I am glad that we are favourites because I always felt that as a South African team, you want to be able to play as a favourite because it is easy being an underdog. The expectation is not great or that much. And now we have assumed the tag which we do not really talk much about. But if we can continue doing what we are doing, then yeah, you need a little bit of luck along the way as well. And yeah, hopefully that will give us the result on Wednesday and then on to our home ground in Ahmedabad (in the final if the team reaches there, South Africa has played plenty of T20 WC matches at this venue),” he added.
Conrad said that the clash against Afghanistan in the group stage, which stretched to two super overs after Afghanistan failed to chase down 188, was massive as it “pulled the group together”.
The head coach also admitted that in terms of self-improvement as a unit, the team can make more opportunities for themseves as a fielding unit.
“Our catching has let us down a little bit, but I do not want to be ultra critical now. We’re playing some really good cricket and as has been the last couple of weeks we will double down on what we have done in the last couple of weeks and do that again over the next couple of days. So again fly out tomorrow, rest up well and then see how the guys pull up who needs what in their games and then yeah, we crack on,” he added.
Speaking about his team’s run-chase, in which they lost three wickets during the powerplay, the coach admitted it was “not a plain sailing”.
“I mean, lost the wicket early and then Aiden (Markram) followed suit, lost three wickets in the power play, which is never ideal. But I do not think the wicket was the easiest to bat on. And that is something that also we try and pride ourselves on, is assessing what the conditions are and what the wicket allows us to do. But then, again, you just felt that once David (Miller) and Brearby (Dewald Brevis) got that partnership together, and Stambo’s (Tristan Stubbs) job is to finish games, and he has done that really well for us. So, yeah, maybe not the most fluent and plain sailing one but I think we got a lot out of today I think all the batters that we wanted out there spent some time not that you set out for batters to spend some time at the wicket but I think we got a lot out of today,” he added.
On Aiden Markram’s captaincy, Conrad said that he has been “at the forefront of everything they do”.
“I think our experience in the last T20 World Cup will stand us in good stead. And again, when you keep making semifinals and finals, and I’ve said this many a time previously, If you continually make semifinals and finals, eventually you’re going to win one. But if you do not make it, you can’t win anything. So, you’ve given us a 25 per cent chance now, if my math does not fail me. So, yeah, 25 per cent chance is what we have got now and then hopefully on Wednesday evening that will have gone up to about 50 per cent,” he concluded.
Coming to the match, Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat first, sinking to 87/5 in 11.4 overs. Skipper Sikandar Raza (73 in 43 balls, with eight fours and four sixes) held the other end steady as wickets fell. His stand of 39-runs with Clive Mandade (26 in 20 balls, with three fours) helped Zimbabwe to reach 153/7 in 20 overs.
Young pacer Kwena Mapakha (2/21) and Corbin Bosch (2/40) were the pick of the bowlers for SA.
In the run-chase, SA was 43/3, but knocks from Ryan Rickelton (31 in 22 balls, with four sixes), Dewald Brevis (42 in 18 balls, with two fours and four sixes) and George Linde (30* in 21 balls, with two fours and a six) took SA to a five-wicket win in 17.5 overs. (ANI)
