Preview: New Zealand vs. South Africa - T20 World Cup semi-final prediction, squads, venue, start time

A place in the T20 World Cup final will be on the line when South Africa take on New Zealand in Wednesday's semi-final in Kolkata.

The winner will go on to face England or India in Sunday's final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Match preview

South Africa have not looked back since beating Afghanistan after two Super Overs in their second group game on February 11.

The Proteas wrapped up the group stage with an impressive seven-wicket victory over New Zealand and a six-wicket success against the United Arab Emirates, before they started the Super Eights with a dominant 76-run win over tournament co-hosts India.

They then clinched a semi-final spot with an emphatic nine-wicket win over the West Indies in their second outing of the Super Eight stage.

With a last-four berth secured, Aiden Markram's side chased down Zimbabwe's 154-run target inside 18 overs to maintain their 100% record at the tournament.

Fuelled by the disappointment of finishing runners-up in 2024, South Africa know they are just two more wins away from winning their first-ever T20 World Cup.

They thrashed Afghanistan at this stage of the tournament two years ago, although they experienced disappointment in their first two semi-final appearances in 2009 and 2014.

In contrast to their opponents, New Zealand faced a nervous wait to find out whether they had done enough to secure a semi-final berth.

After winning three of their four group games, Mitchell Santner's side saw their first Super Eight match against Pakistan abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The Blackcaps followed that frustrating outcome with a commanding 61-run win over Sri Lanka, only to fall to a four-wicket defeat against England on Friday.

New Zealand looked set to defend their 159-run total when they reduced Harry Brook's charges to 117-6, but an impressive seven-wicket stand between Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed saw England over the line.

That result opened the door for Pakistan to advance with a big victory over Sri Lanka, but a five-run win was nowhere near enough to catch New Zealand's strong net run rate.

The Blackcaps are now fully focused on Wednesday's semi-final, and while they have already lost to South Africa in this tournament, they may be able to draw some inspiration from the fact that they have won all three of their previous knockout games against the Proteas in ICC events.

Team News

Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj are all set to return to South Africa's bowling attack after being rested for the win against Zimbabwe.

There may be some concern over Ryan Rickleton's availability after he was struck on the helmet by a Brad Evans bouncer on Sunday.

The 29-year-old was able to continue batting after passing the initial concussion tests, so he should be fine to play in Wednesday's semi-final.

Markram will be looking to play a captain's innings, having hit 268 runs at an impressive strike rate of 175.16 during the tournament.

As for New Zealand, they will have to decide whether to keep faith in all-rounder Cole McConchie, who has played the last two matches.

Jimmy Neesham is the obvious candidate to replace McConchie if the Blackcaps opt to make a change to their playing XI.

There will be pressure on the opening pair of Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, who are New Zealand's top two scorers at the tournament with 405 runs between them.

Rachin Ravindra will come in at number three, but he could have a role to play with his left-arm spin after taking seven wickets in the last two games.

South Africa squad:

Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wk), David Miller, Kwena Maphaka, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

New Zealand squad:

Mitchell Santner (c) Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

T20 World Cup results

South Africa's tournament so far

Group stage:

vs. Canada: Won by 57 runs

vs. Afghanistan: Won after the second super over

vs. New Zealand: Won by seven wickets

vs. UAE: Won by six wickets

Super Eights:

vs. India: Won by 76 runs

vs. West Indies: Won by nine wickets

vs. Zimbabwe: Won by five wickets

New Zealand's tournament so far

Group stage:

vs. Afghanistan: Won by five wickets

vs. United Arab Emirates: Won by 10 wickets

vs. South Africa: Lost by seven wickets

vs. Canada: Won by eight wickets

Super Eights:

vs. Pakistan: No result

vs. Sri Lanka: Won by 61 runs

vs. England: Lost by four wickets

Where will South Africa vs. New Zealand be held?

The semi-final clash will take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, which has already hosted six matches at the T20 World Cup.

However, South Africa and New Zealand are yet to play at the stadium in this tournament.

When will South Africa vs. New Zealand start?

The semi-final will start at 7pm local time, which means it will be a 1:30pm start on Wednesday afternoon for UK viewers.

We say: South Africa to win

South Africa have made themselves the team to beat with a collection of strong performances in the tournament, and having already beaten New Zealand in the competition, we think they will come out on top again to secure their spot in Sunday's final.