KOLKATA: South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad has urged his side to embrace the pressure of being labelled favo­urites as they prepare for a high-stakes semi-final against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup.

The Proteas remained unbe­a­ten in the tournament after registering an emphatic five-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in New Delhi on Sunday and will now face the Black Caps on Wednesday, with a place in the final at stake.

Despite the added intensity of a knockout fixture, Conrad backed his players to handle expectations and continue their winning momentum.

“There’s always pressure. It’s about what you do with that pressure and how you shift it,” Conrad said. “It’s really about embracing it. We’re going to prepare exactly the same way for New Zealand.”

South Africa enter the contest as the only unbeaten team left in the competition, a factor Conrad believes naturally places them among the favourites but does not add extra burden.

“The semi-final itself is pressure enough. Playing a top side like New Zealand is pressure enough,” he said. “I’m glad that we’re favourites because as a South African team you want to play as favourites. It’s easier being an underdog when expectations aren’t as high.”

Conrad added that consistency and a measure of luck would be key as his side aims to reach the final, scheduled to be played in Ahmedabad.

If South Africa are to extend their winning run, captain Aiden Markram is expected to play a pivotal role following an outstanding tournament with the bat.

Markram currently leads the run-scoring charts among players from the four remaining semi-finalists, and Conrad believes the skipper has grown significantly since South Africa finished runners-up to India in the 2024 edition of the tournament.

“The guys are richer for that experience,” Conrad said. “They’ve learned a lot about themselves and Aiden has been fantastic both with the bat and as a leader.

“You’re only as good as your troops, and he’d be the first to admit that. But Aiden has been at the forefront of everything we do.”

Conrad also highlighted the importance of regularly reaching the latter stages of major tournaments.

“If you continually make semi-finals and finals, eventually you’re going to win one,” he said. “Now we’ve given ourselves a 25 per cent chance, and hopefully by Wednesday evening that will rise to about 50 per cent.”

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2026