South Africa coach Shukri Conrad stated that his team will prepare for the T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Kolkata in the same way they have approached every match in the tournament.
The Proteas secured a five-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in their last Super Eights match against Zimbabwe on Sunday, maintaining their unbeaten record.
While the prospect of reaching the final looms large, Conrad emphasized that his team would continue to focus on their strengths.
"There's always pressure. I think it's about how you manage that pressure. As for the 'cupcake' situation, I think we've handled that well. But no, there's always pressure, and it's really about embracing that pressure."
"We're going to prepare exactly the same way for New Zealand. Whether we start as favourites, which is likely because we're the only unbeaten team, doesn't change that. I don't know if that adds to the pressure. The semi-final is pressure enough. Playing a strong team like New Zealand is already challenging."
"So there's no added pressure, and I'm glad we're the favourites. As a South African team, we want to be in that position because it's easier to be the underdog. The expectations aren't as high, and we've taken on that role."
"But if we can continue doing what we're doing, we'll need a bit of luck along the way. Hopefully, that will help us win on Wednesday and reach the final."
South Africa's success has been built on their pace attack, with Lungi Ngidi emerging as a key weapon. This is surprising, considering South Africa lacks a specialist wrist-spinner, but Conrad believes that focusing on their strengths has been a key factor.
"I think our bowling attack is designed to take wickets. Guys like KG and Marco have been particularly effective in this regard. We might not have a mystery spinner, but Lungi Ngidi is a mystery seamer who can bowl at the right times."
"We're constantly looking to make an impact with the ball, whether that's taking wickets or controlling the run rate. Boshie has bowled exceptionally well at the death, nailing his yorkers. We've also stayed aggressive."
"You might hit it once or twice, but you have to be on top of your game to consistently hit that length. There are always things to work on, but we're happy with how things have gone. A couple of players rested today and will be fresh for Wednesday."
South Africa's decision to travel without a wrist spinner was a deliberate strategic choice, based on the resources available to them.
"We don't even have a wrist spinner in our side. Some might argue that we should be bowling that way, but you can only play to your strengths. We don't have wrist spinners or mystery spinners."
"But we thought that if we can nail a yorker, some change-ups, and control the run rate, that would be enough. It's worked out for us, so we've focused on what we know we can do."
"With regards to today, it's about managing guys. Marco didn't have a great day, he's feeling a bit under the weather. But he'll be good to go. KG, same. Lungi didn't play last game, which KG played, so it's really just Kesh again. Hopefully, they'll run well after the rest and we certainly hope that's the case on Wednesday."
