Pasting in Ahmedabad, still pressure in Kolkata

South Africa hammered New Zealand in their first meeting at this T20 World Cup. So, why not again in Wednesday's semifinal at Eden Gardens?

Aiden Markram smiled at the suggestion: "I wish cricket was that easy. New Zealand are a quality team. We had a good run against them in the group stages, but both teams have played a lot of cricket since then."

That first match was in Ahmedabad. South Africa limited New Zealand to 175/7 and chased it down with seven wickets and 17 balls to spare.

"The Ahmedabad surface was good for South Africa," said New Zealand's Mitchell Santner. "They have a lot of power, and the Powerplay for us with the ball was where they got away."

At the six-over mark in that game, New Zealand were 58/3. South Africa, in reply, were 83/1 with Markram en route to an unbeaten 86 off 44 balls.

But Santner doesn't believe recent history will repeat: "We probably haven't played the perfect game throughout this tournament. If we can put it all together it would put us in a pretty good position."

Since that match, South Africa have reeled off four more wins, including over India and West Indies, and are the tournament's only unbeaten team. New Zealand recovered to beat Canada and Sri Lanka but also lost to England. South Africa are heavily favoured.

"It's a completely fresh start tomorrow, and it's a semifinal," Markram said. "I don't think it's as straightforward as just being able to repeat that. There are a lot of variables, but all the boys are very excited."

Markram is correct. Neither side has played at Eden Gardens this tournament. South Africa have never played a T20I in Kolkata; New Zealand have, twice. And while South Africa have won all five of their T20 World Cup games against New Zealand, they lost both ODI World Cup knockout matches to them.

So, how have South Africa managed to look so seamless?

"It's about making really good decisions under pressure," Markram said. "We've got a lot of good experience. [Quinton de Kock] reads conditions really well from behind the stumps. We don't try to complicate it too much. We get a feel for conditions quickly and back our plans."

Still, Markram acknowledged the uncertainty: "Any team can beat anyone at a World Cup, especially in this format. It takes one or two special performances."

Santner was less expectant of surprises: "There's no secrets about what South Africa are going to bring. We know they're going to roll out the same team, a very good team. They have all the bases covered and that's why they're undefeated."

There's a double-edged truth. Matches can turn on a dime in T20 cricket, yet teams cannot hide their intentions. The magic is that, despite all that, we still don't know who will turn the match which way on Wednesday. That one team hammered the other last time counts for nothing.