Why Kwena Maphaka is Not Playing Today in SA vs NZ T20 World Cup Semifinal?

In the 1st semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, South Africa are taking on their old rivals New Zealand at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The game is expected to be a thriller between two of the best cricket teams in the world.

The Proteas are invited to bat first by the Kiwis' skipper, Mitchell Santner. South Africa's skipper, Aiden Markram mentioned that putting some runs on the board is not a bad thing to do in a pressure game, which is why they were happy with the decision. He also announced three changes in their playing 11 from the previous match and one of them was leaving out the fast bowler Kwena Maphaka.

Why Kwena Maphaka Is Not Playing Today against New Zealand?

South Africa's left-arm fast bowler Kwena Maphaka has been dropped from the team for the semi-final clash against New Zealand in Kolkata. Maphaka had excellent figures in the last match, but he was likely to be dropped for the SA vs NZ semi final 2026 match in favor of the other experienced pacers.

Veteran fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been roped in as Kwena Maphaka replacement for this match. Being one of the best bowlers in the world, Rabada has a massive role to play in this high-pressure semi-final match.

South Africa are unbeaten in the tournament, which speaks volumes about their performances. Meanwhile, New Zealand have had a tough time in the Super 8 stage, but managed to get into the knockout stage as they had a better NRR than Pakistan.

Kwena Maphaka Dropped Despite Impressive Outing

Kwena Maphaka was impressive in South Africa's last Super 8 match, against Zimbabwe, as he returned figures of 2-21 in four overs. In the other match that he played in this edition's ICC T20 World Cup, he picked up 0-30 in four overs.

The left-arm seamer is the future of South African cricket and this was the first time that he was playing a senior tournament of such magnitude. Meanwhile, his replacement for the SA vs NZ T20 World Cup match, Kagiso Rabada, is having an ordinary tournament and has managed to pick up just 4 wickets so far. However, Rabada's experience trumped Maphaka for selection in this match.