“I think it’s whether you want to call it the underdogs or not. I think for us, it’s everyone’s goal throughout the tournament to get to the stage. We’re here now and we back ourselves, you know, in one-off games against most teams, to be able to adapt as quickly as we can to what’s in front of us.” said Santner.
In recent ICC Men’s events, South Africa and New Zealand have followed similar arcs. Both sides have consistently produced stellar performances but have fallen just short of going all the way, especially in white-ball tournaments.
New Zealand reached the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup but fell short against Australia. Meanwhile, South Africa endured heartbreak in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, going down to India.