South Africa’s Coach Reacts Humorously to ‘Chokers’ Tag After Semi-Final Exit
South Africa’s head coach, Shukri Conrad, shared a light-hearted perspective on the often-repeated label of ‘chokers’ that follows his team, especially after their recent loss to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. On March 4, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, South Africa faced a nine-wicket defeat, marking the end of their impressive seven-match unbeaten streak in the tournament.
After the match, Conrad was asked about the ‘chokers’ label that tends to hang over South African cricket. With a smile, he pointed out that a team must be competitive to choke, and in this instance, his squad was convincingly outplayed.
“I don’t know if tonight was a choke. It felt more like a real thrashing. To choke, you’d need to have been in the game — and we certainly weren’t. In South Africa, we’d say we were ‘mauled’ out there,” Conrad said during the post-match press conference, using local slang to emphasize his point.
Despite a strong showing in the World Test Championship final against Australia in 2025, where they broke the ‘chokers’ stigma, South Africa couldn’t replicate that success on such a grand stage this time, as they stumbled in the semi-finals against New Zealand.
Conrad also mentioned that many people didn’t expect the team to reach this far in the tournament, adding, “While there will be criticism, it’s a part of elite sports. I am really proud of what the guys achieved here. Not many gave us a chance to even make it to the semi-finals based on our form before the competition.”
How the Game Unfolded
Batting first, South Africa struggled to reach 169 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs, with New Zealand’s bowlers, especially Cole McConchie (2/9), Rachin Ravindra (2/29), and Matt Henry (2/34), dismantling their batting order. Marco Jansen stood out with a solid performance, scoring 55 runs off 30 deliveries.
In response, New Zealand made short work of the chase, achieving their target in just 12.5 overs. Finn Allen made headlines by scoring a record-breaking century off just 33 balls, while Tim Seifert contributed 58 runs. Together, they built a strong partnership of 117 runs in just 55 balls.
With this win, New Zealand secured a place in their second T20 World Cup final, where they will face the victor of the match between India and England, set to take place on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
