Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha is leaning on Kagiso Rabada’s fierce competitive nature as the team prepares for their high-stakes semi-final showdown against New Zealand at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens (3.30pm start) on Wednesday.
Despite having beaten the Black Caps in Ahmedabad earlier in this ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Botha remains wary of their opponents. He acknowledged New Zealand’s meticulous preparation under head coach Rob Walter but insisted that South Africa’s success depends on trust in their own skill sets.
“New Zealand are always a meticulous and well-prepared team. We understand that we need to be on top of our own game,” Botha told Independent Media. “Our focus is to ensure that we keep backing our own ability and skill on the day to get over the line.”
As the Proteas look to extend their unbeaten record in this tournament, Botha highlighted Rabada’s role as the heartbeat of the attack.
“KG has been really good; he just gets on with things even if they don’t go his way. He understands that he needs to create as much pressure as possible,” said Botha.
“If his teammates pick up wickets on the back of that, he is happy. KG sets the tone with his competitive nature and is always close to a Player of the Match performance.”
South Africa’s bowling unit has earned widespread plaudits for their execution during the tournament. Led by Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Keshav Maharaj, they have successfully neutralised several of the world’s most destructive players.
A standout moment was their tactical suffocation of India’s Abhishek Sharma — the world’s top-ranked T20I batter — by starving him of off-side deliveries and forcing him to play exclusively on the leg-side.
The likes of Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch have executed similar plans with clinical precision across all seven matches of this showpiece event. Botha reiterated that while they work closely with team analysts to curate specific plans, the ultimate responsibility lies with the players on the pitch.
“The bowling unit will have their chats, and we work closely with our analyst in the build-up,” Botha added.
“However, you can’t pre-plan for every single scenario. We back our bowlers to make decisions and trust their execution in the moment. Together with the captain, the bowlers take full responsibility.”
South Africa now stands on the precipice of their second consecutive T20 World Cup final. However, given New Zealand’s historical knack for inflicting knockout heartbreak on the Proteas, the Black Caps will undoubtedly fancy their chances of opening old wounds.
