SA v New Zealand: Familiar foes face off at T20 World Cup

Friendships will be put aside when South Africa and New Zealand go head-to-head in a crucial Group D match at the T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad on Saturday (3.30pm).

A number of the players who’ll be in action know each other well, from playing in the various T20 leagues around the world, while Kiwi coach Rob Walter was in charge of the Proteas not too long ago, including at the last World Cup, in the USA and Caribbean, where the Proteas finished as runners-up to India.

Similarities

Proteas captain Aiden Markram agreed the South African and New Zealand players had a lot in common.

“Ja, they’re a great bunch of guys. We know a lot of them from the tournaments [around the world],’ said the SA opening batter.

He added: “Their approach is also similar to that of South Africa. They’re also never quite the front runners, and are always trying to get in there and being a part of the big and successful teams. We share that similarity.

“They’re good at their skills, and are also competitive … similar to us, and because of that there’s quite a bit of respect between the teams.”

Rob Walter in Kiwi camp

The winner of Saturday’s match will probably end the group phase play as the top team in the pool. Both teams have won two matches each with one to play after this weekend’s outing.

Regarding the presence of Walter in the Kiwi team, who would be able to share some secrets about the Proteas players and their strengths and weaknesses, Markram said: “He’ll know all of us pretty well, and how each of us operate, and what brings out the best in us, and things where they can maybe challenge us.”

But the SA skipper added: “We’re not near our best, so a lot of our focus is there. If we keep getting better, and play to our full potential, it feels like the results will take care of themselves.”

South Africa go into the game on the back of a thrilling win against Afghanistan, while they earlier beat Canada, while New Zealand beat the UAE and Afghanistan.