In the all-important semi-final against South Africa were put into bat by New Zealand at the iconic Eden Gardens stadium. The surface was the same one where India played West Indies and it was a very good wicket for batting. New Zealand started really well in the power play and put the pressure on South Africa. They picked up a couple of wickets and kept the score under 50. They later lost four wickets by the end of the tenth over. In this article we look at how twitter reacted to this shocking batting performance by South Africa
CHOKERS !! The ‘chokers’ tag wasn’t randomly given to the South Africa team. The closer they move toward a trophy, the heavier the pressure gets and that’s when they crumble. pic.twitter.com/np41nE5XF7
— A N U J (@Hello_anuj) March 4, 2026
Whenever I start convincing myself that the South africa have finally beaten the “chokers” allegations… they drop a performance so dramatic that even the scriptwriters would blush pic.twitter.com/zZQYzNi7hw
— Govtmemes (@govtmemes) March 4, 2026
Henry started off things as he gave away just seven runs in the first over. The second over was a huge gamble and a surprise as Santner gave the ball to off-spinner Cole McConchie as a match up to Quinton de Kock. He picked up the wicket as De Kock fell for 10 as he tried to go over mid-on but it went straight to Ferguson.
Everytime I see McConchie, I can only think of this post 😭#NZvSA #T20WC2026 pic.twitter.com/CUFT54iunQ
— M 🏏 (@auscricketfan33) March 4, 2026
It has never happened and it can never happen that South Africa does not choke in a big match 😌😌🥲#SAvsNZ pic.twitter.com/37OMRkMJO8
— HeySaiF 🔥 (@SaifAslam1441) March 4, 2026
Markram, Miller and De Kock should hang their hands in shame that youngsters are more composed than they are in such a critical game
— TK (@_Prince_Akeem) March 4, 2026
The off-spinner continued to wreak havoc as in the very next ball, Ryan Rickelton fell as he tried to cut a ball and was caught at point. McConchie bowled just the one over and did his job picking up two wickets and South Africa were in all sorts of trouble. Fans on twitter brought up the choking meme as the South African batters gifted their wickets to part-timers.
COLE MCCONCHIE GETS DE KOCK AND RICKELTON IN 2 BALLS. - What a start by the Kiwis! pic.twitter.com/8bApmydhXa
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 4, 2026
South Africa have long been called the “chokers” for falling short in crucial ICC knockout matches despite having world-class teams. And today’s collapse is starting to feel painfully familiar.#SouthAfrica #Proteas #T20WorldCup #SAvNZ #Cricket pic.twitter.com/e0sKlDA3mz
— CRICONE (@cricone__) March 4, 2026
Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram stitched up a partnership and took South Africa to a decent position. But once again Rachin Ravindra was brought into the attack and he struck immediately as he picked up the wicket of Aiden Markram. The South African captain fumbled under pressure as he was dismissed for 18 runs of 20 balls. It was a real struggle and later Miller lost his wicket to Ravindra as South Africa were in all sorts of pressure.
South Africa have lost five wickets and are 108 at the end of 15 overs. With five more overs left they will be hoping for a big finish to end the innings and give their bowlers something to bowl at. This promises to be an exciting contest if South Africa can do well in the last five.
