Fast bowler Matt Henry has rejoined New Zealand’s playing eleven as captain Mitchell Santner chose to bowl first against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens. The winner of this match will advance to the final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. South Africa has a perfect record against New Zealand in their previous five encounters in this tournament.
New Zealand has an advantage in ICC events over South Africa, having won a quarter-final and two semi-finals in 50-over competitions. Henry, who returned to the team after the birth of his second child, is in, while Jimmy Neesham replaces Ish Sodhi. Santner emphasized the need to perform well against a strong South African team.
South Africa’s skipper Aiden Markram confirmed the return of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj after being rested in their last Super Eights match against Zimbabwe. Markram expressed satisfaction with the team’s collective effort in the previous game and aims to start strongly with the bat in the knockout match.
In the pitch report by Pommie Mbangwa and Aaron Finch, the square boundaries were measured at 62 and 66 meters, with the straight boundary at 74 meters. They noted visible cracks along the off-stump line, potentially affecting right-handed batters early on. However, as the ball ages, the pitch is expected to play consistently. The groundsman indicated a likelihood of increased dew during the match.
