🌍Africa Conflicts

Is it time to trust South Africa as World Cup 'favourites'?

South Africa are the only unbeaten team left at the T20 World Cup and go into their semi-final against New Zealand as favourites, so it is time to trust them despite their past in global tournaments?

BBC News - Africa

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३ मार्च, 2026

5 min read

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South Africa and World Cups. You know the drill.

The Sydney rain in 1992, a run out and dropped catch in 1999, Grant Elliott's last-over charge in 2015 and the late collapse against India in Barbados in 2024.

All that hope, so often fancied to go all of the way, only for it to end in disappointment.

But are times changing?

First there was the World Test Championship win against Australia at Lord's last June and now, after seven wins from seven at this T20 World Cup, coach Shukri Conrad is happy to carry the tag of "favourites" going into a semi-final against New Zealand in Kolkata on Wednesday.

"I'm glad that we're favourites because I always felt that as a South African team, you want to be able to play as a favourite because it's easy being an underdog," Conrad said.

Is now the time, despite everything that has come before, to trust South Africa to go all of the way?

It is 612 days since captain Aiden Markram sat in a windowless press conference room and was asked to put into words their defeat in the 2024 final.

The Proteas needed only 26 runs from the last 24 balls but lost by seven runs.

"I don't think I can say them yet to be honest," a crestfallen Markram said.

"We'll try to use it to fire us up for future events."

Eight of the players from that final are in the squad here, including Markram who remains an impressive and calm leader.

"The guys are richer for that experience," Conrad said.

"They have learned so much about themselves and Aiden has been fantastic both with bat in hand and as a leader, as well as a captain.

"But you're only as good as your troops and he'd be the first one to admit that."

At the 2024 tournament Markram struggled personally with only 123 runs across nine innings. His strike-rate was just 100.81.

This time he is the tournament's third-highest run-scorer with 263 runs at a strike-rate of 175.16, something Markram's former captain Faf du Plessis puts down to his development in the Indian Premier League.

"He opened for Lucknow Super Giants and the IPL almost demanded you needed to play in that way in order for you to keep your place," Du Plessis told Cricinfo, external.

"It was obviously the Impact-Sub [rule] and the way the game was moving. As an opener, you couldn't play the old-school way anymore."

South Africa's performances have been well-rounded to this point.

Led by Markram, they have the highest batting run-rate across the tournament and the highest number of balls per dismissal.

Their run-rate in the middle overs is the highest of all teams.

But it has not been all about the batting.

They have the best bowling economy across the tournament and, through the skill of Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, have taken three more powerplay wickets than any other side.

That is despite the Proteas being in the so-called Group of Death, alongside both New Zealand and Afghanistan, and then progressing to the Super 8s pool with India, West Indies and Zimbabwe – the three other group winners.

The match against Afghanistan, when they required two super overs to get the job done, is their only truly close finish.

"The Afghanistan game was massive in many respects because it could so easily have not gone our way and the pressure is really on us against New Zealand," Conrad said.

"In some sort of way, it really pulled the group together."

The unanswered question about South Africa is what happens if the top order fails.

Jansen appears a place too high at number seven. Will they feel free to go hard in a knockout game?

The Proteas are also unique among the semi-finalists in that they do not have a wrist spinner in their XI, instead leaving their spin duties to left-arm finger spinner Keshav Maharaj and part-time off-spinner Markram.

It has meant the Proteas have bowled the fewest amount of spin overs in the tournament – just 22.8%.

In contrast, 53% of England's overs have been from spinners.

"You can only pretty much cut your coat according to your cloth size and we don't have wrist spinners or mystery spinners," Conrad said.

"Our bowling attack was fashioned in such a way that we've got wicket-taking options and that's something that we've driven, especially with guys like KG [Rabada] and Marco [Jansen] - their impact in the match will be through taking wickets."

South Africa's gaps have been filled by Ngidi, who Conrad calls a "mystery seamer", and seamer Corbin Bosch.

Ngidi is known for his range of slower balls.

He has only conceded 6.2 runs per over in the middle phase of the innings while the unheralded Bosch has taken six wickets in that period.

"They're all Test-match bowlers so bowling a Test-match length doesn't come difficult to them so and I think that's still a really tough length to hit consistently.

"Bosch keeps it really, really simple, he trains smartly, he trains hard, he doesn't give himself too many options.

"We have Lungi that's got a really deceptive slower ball and then Marco and KG are Marco and KG.

"It's nice to be able to have that sort of variety."

In 2024, India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup unbeaten. If South Africa are to win it, they will now have to do the same.

"The South Africa side look ready," said former England captain Michael Vaughan.

"I do think that World Test Championship final victory at Lord's has given them that boost.

"India played the pure game to the [50-over World Cup] final in 2023 and had one blip in the final [against Australia]. That is the one fear I have for South Africa."