Kolkata, March 4 South Africa’s left-handed batter David Miller said his side is excited and ready to continue their unbeaten campaign against New Zealand in their 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup semifinal at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
South Africa have won in all five of their previous meetings against New Zealand in the competition’s history. The sides, however, have never faced each other in the knockout stages of the tournament. In 50-over ICC events, New Zealand hold the edge by winning a quarterfinal and two semifinals against South Africa.
"Obviously, very excited the way, especially the way that we played this campaign, and I think for us, it’s a new game, it’s a new start, as we know, just to continue with those good things that we’ve been doing.
“Each individual has been preparing really well, has been putting up performances. If you look at the campaign so far, everyone’s contributed at different stages, so that’s always a healthy sign. Going into this game, it’s another game to do something really special.
“So I think it’s just making sure that we get into the fight as quick as possible and kind of adapting on the day, see where it goes. Everyone’s really buzzed up and excited and ready to go," said Miller in a pre-match chat with the broadcasters.
Though South Africa, just like New Zealand, are yet to play a World Cup game in Kolkata, Miller said they will bank on their previous knowledge of playing at the venue. "We have played here. A lot of guys played here. So, I mean, it generally can be a high-scoring game. There’s a bit of dew around sometimes as well, so that’s taken into consideration.
Asked about his assessment of the pitch, Miller said, “It should be a good wicket. Like I said, let’s adapt as we start and kind of sum up the conditions as quickly as possible. But I think it will be a good wicket. So it’s just making sure that we do whatever we do first, we do it really well, and try and put pressure on the opposition as quickly as possible."
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