SA vs NZ: Why did Jacob Duffy miss semi-final 1 of T20 World Cup 2026?
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Jacob Duffy has played four games in the T20 World Cup 2026 so far.
South Africa and New Zealand are locking horns in the semi-final 1 of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Wednesday, March 4, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Aiden Markram & Co. have been unbeaten in the ongoing T20 World Cup so far, winning seven games. In the Super 8, they won back-to-back games against India, West Indies, and Zimbabwe to top the Group 1 points table and book a berth in the semi-final.
Luck favoured New Zealand in the Super 8 round, where they were placed in Group 2. Mitchell Santner & Co. finished with three points, but a better Net Run Rate (NRR) than Pakistan helped them qualify for the semi-final.
In the semi-final 1, New Zealand won the toss and opted to field first. At the toss, Santner revealed that they made only one change to their playing XI, replacing spinner Ish Sodhi with seam all-rounder James Neesham. Hence, pacer Jacob Duffy was not part of the match.
Why is Jacob Duffy not playing against South Africa?
Notably, New Zealand pacer Matt Henry travelled back home ahead of the semi-final due to the birth of his child. He was expected to be unavailable for the semi-final against South Africa and was set to be replaced by Jacob Duffy. However, since Henry returned in time, Duffy was overlooked for the clash.
Jacob played four games in the league stage, clinching three wickets at an average of 40.33. He was a little expensive as his economy was 10.08.
Backing his decision to field first, Santner stated at the toss, “We’re going to have a bowl. I guess we had a little look the other night at what the pitch looked like. It looked pretty good. It should be pretty flat again, so try and make some inroads at the start and try and restrict them to a score. We know they’re (South Africa) a great outfit, as they’ve shown throughout this tournament”.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.
South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
Why is Jacob Duffy not playing against South Africa?
Since Henry returned in time, Duffy was overlooked for the clash.
Who won the toss in the SA vs NZ semi-final 1?
New Zealand won the toss and opted to field first.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.