Shukri Conrad Labels Semi-Final Loss Against New Zealand a Big Walloping

South African head coach Shukri Conrad admitted that his side suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He said South Africa didn’t have a sniff, as the Black Caps showcased complete dominance on the field to win the match by 9 wickets.

“I don't know if tonight was a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping. I think in order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn't have a sniff. In South Africa, we say we got moered snotklap, also a South African word meaning a real hiding." said Shukri Conrad after the match.

He then gave credit to the New Zealand team for delivering an outstanding performance, saying they strangled South Africa from the start of the match.

"They strangled us up front, we lost wickets and we didn't get any sort of momentum going. A hell of a lot didn't go right tonight, but that was probably enforced because they were so good and they never gave us a sniff.” said South African head coach, Shukri Conrad.

“I'm not going to sit here and try and make excuses for a bad night. We weren't good and they were excellent." added Shukri Conrad.

Conrad then urged everyone to showcase calmness after the defeat, as he believes South Africa performed well in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, except for today’s match.

"There'll be enough people that are going to be jumping on the bandwagon but we did so many special things. I'm so proud of these guys.” said Shukri Conrad.

“I don't think many people gave us much of a chance of even getting into a semi-final when we left the shores, given our form before that. But that's no consolation or anything like that. I think it's cue the abuse now and there'll be enough of it." concluded Shukri Conrad.