Mitchell Santner won the toss on a warm Kolkata afternoon and, without much fuss, decided New Zealand would bowl first in the opening T20 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens. On paper it looks the obvious call – evenings here often get a touch dewy – yet Santner still sounded relieved to have got the coin right.
The bigger news for the Black Caps is Matt Henry’s timely return. The seamer dashed home after the England fixture in Colombo for the birth of his second child and, for a while, the coaching staff honestly did not know if he’d be back. “Family always comes first,” was Rob Walter’s line earlier in the week, but Henry landed in time and slots straight in.
Jimmy Neesham also re-enters, giving the attack another seam option and a bit of late-order muscle. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, wicketless and a tad expensive in Colombo, is the one to miss out. Cole McConchie, whose off-spin offers a different angle, keeps his place, meaning Jacob Duffy stays on the sidelines.
South Africa, meanwhile, are at full strength again after the gentle hit-out against Zimbabwe. Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj return; Kwena Maphaka, Anrich Nortje and George Linde step aside. Captain Aiden Markram hinted on match-eve that the surface “held a bit of moisture”, and with potential dew later he admitted he might have bowled first as well. Still, his side will back their top order – Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and the precocious Dewald Brevis – to put something defensible on the board.
Teams
South Africa: Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.
First ball is due at 2pm local. The forecast is clear, the crowd already noisy, and – for what it’s worth – the ground staff reckon 170 might be par. Let’s see.
