SA vs NZ: After defeating South Africa, Mitchell Santner made a big statement, said this about the final

T20 World Cup 2026, Mitchell Santner: New Zealand has made it to the final of T20 World Cup 2026. In the first semi-final played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, the New Zealand team won the ticket to the final by defeating South Africa by 9 runs on the basis of Finn Allen’s record-breaking century. Batting first in this match, South Africa had set a target of 170 runs. In response, New Zealand team won the match by scoring 173 runs for one wicket in just 12.5 overs. After this victory, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner looked very happy. Santner praised his team profusely and also told about his strategy for the final.

What did Mitchell Santner say after defeating South Africa?

After defeating South Africa and making it to the final, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said, “We knew how strong a team South Africa is and they have proved it throughout the tournament. So, it is really satisfying to perform like this in a big match like the knockouts. I believe that there is something to be learned from every match, whether you win or lose. We were not at our best in the Ahmedabad match, whereas they had shown excellent performance especially on that pitch.”

He further said, “Today our aim was to keep them under pressure for a long time. We used more spin in the beginning, which we did not do in Ahmedabad. If you keep taking wickets continuously, it is not easy to bat.”

"It was nice to watch" 🔊

Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner has once again proven himself the king of understatement when talking about Finn Allen’s 100* off 33 balls 🏏 pic.twitter.com/CIfyx2ilKb

— Prime Video Sport AUNZ (@pvsportaunz) March 4, 2026

Lots of praise for Finn Allen

In the semi-final against South Africa, Finn Allen played an unbeaten 100 runs in 33 balls with 10 fours and 8 sixes and played an important role in New Zealand’s victory. After the match, the Kiwi captain praised Allen profusely. He said that scoring a century in 33 balls is no mean feat and Allen’s innings was really brilliant. Santner hopes that Allen will perform similarly in the final also.

Also read- NZ vs SA: New Zealand cuts ticket to T20 World Cup final, defeats South Africa by 9 wickets

Big statement given regarding the final

At the same time, regarding the final match to be held on March 8, Santner said, “There are still a few days left, so the team will plan its strategy comfortably. He admitted that his team was not perfect in every match in the tournament, but in this semi-final, the players played excellent cricket for the entire 20 overs. At present, the team is celebrating this victory and then will start preparing for the final. For now, we are happy with this victory.”

Also read- ‘Felt like a slap…’, South African captain’s pain after the defeat, statement given on being out of T20 World Cup

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