South Africa players during the first T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal in Kolkata. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: South Africa’s dream run at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 came to a crashing halt on Wednesday night as New Zealand handed them a crushing nine-wicket defeat in the semifinal. And head coach Shukri Conrad did not hold back while describing what unfolded.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking after the match, Conrad dismissed suggestions that South Africa had “choked” under pressure — a tag that has followed them in global tournaments for decades.“I don’t know if tonight was a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping,” Conrad said bluntly. “In order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn’t have a sniff.”

Chasing a competitive 170, New Zealand made a mockery of the target. Opener Finn Allen produced a historic assault, smashing an unbeaten 100 off just 33 balls — the fastest century in the tournament’s history — while Tim Seifert hammered a 33-ball 58. The chase was wrapped up in just 12.5 overs, leaving South Africa stunned.Conrad even dipped into his native Afrikaans to sum up the scale of the defeat.“Tonight we got a proper ‘snotklap’,” he said. “That’s an Afrikaans word for a real hiding, a smack you don’t see coming. That’s what it felt like.”Earlier, New Zealand’s bowlers had laid the platform. Cole McConchie struck twice in the second over, removing Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in consecutive deliveries. Spinners then tightened the screws as South Africa’s middle order — including Aiden Markram, David Miller and Dewald Brevis — failed to gain momentum.A late counterattack from Marco Jansen, who smashed an unbeaten 55 off 30 balls, and Tristan Stubbs helped South Africa reach 169, but the total proved nowhere near enough.“They strangled us up front and we never got any momentum,” Conrad admitted. “A hell of a lot didn’t go right tonight — but that was probably enforced because they were so good.”Despite the heavy defeat, Conrad said he remained proud of his team, who entered the semifinal as the tournament’s only unbeaten side with seven consecutive wins.“I thought we did some exceptional stuff throughout the tournament,” he said. “Not many people gave us a chance of making the semifinals when we left home. I’m incredibly proud of these guys — even if that’s no consolation right now.”