Shukri Conrad Jay Shah. Image Credits: X
Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s head coach, took a sharp jibe at ICC broadcasters for selling the ‘chokers’ tagline for the Proteas ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals.
For years, South Africa’s struggles in knockout ICC matches fuelled the “choker” label. But Conrad made it clear that this generation, led by captain Aiden Markram, is not burdened by the past.
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Shukri Conrad defends South Africa ahead of semi-finals
South Africa made it to the semi-finals after an unbeaten run in the Super 8 campaign. They’ll now meet New Zealand on March 4 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
However, ahead of the crucial semi-final, the Proteas are again forced to deal with the ‘chokers’ narrative. This storyline of choking in knockout games has haunted South Africa for decades.
But this generation is different, as coach Shukri Conrad likes to believe. In a recent post-match press conference, Conrad took a dig at ICC broadcasters for stereotyping the ‘choker’ tag and suggested another ‘C’ word to brush off the criticism.
"There is always pressure. I think it's what you do with that pressure and how you shift the pressure. As for the C word, I think there's another one for it, cupcakes. I thought we kind of enjoyed that. But no, there is always pressure, and it is really about embracing that pressure. And we do not do things any differently,” Conrad said.
Ahmedabad feels like home
That being said, having played five of their seven matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the venue has effectively become South Africa’s base during the tournament.
Shukri Conrad embraces this familiarity and wishes to return to their ‘home ground’ for the final after beating New Zealand in the semi-final.
"If we can continue doing what we’re doing, and we need a little bit of luck along the way as well, hopefully that will give us the result on Wednesday. And then it’s on to our home ground in Ahmedabad for the final.”
South Africa to embrace pressure in semis
With seven consecutive wins, South Africa have emerged as a strong contender for the title. However, Shukri Conrad said that expectations won’t derail the team’s focus.
“We are going to prepare exactly the same way for New Zealand. Whether we start as favourites, probably because we are the only unbeaten side in the competition. But I do not know if that adds to the pressure. I think the semi-final is pressure enough. Playing a top side, New Zealand is pressure enough. So there is no added pressure," he added.
Irrespective of what Shukri Conrad wants to believe, the ‘choker’ tag is something South Africa can’t get rid of that easily, especially after losing the T20 World Cup 2024 final from a run-a-ball situation.
While their form this year has been impressive, tackling the pressure of a knockout game against New Zealand will be a different task altogether.
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