“There’s another word for C tag… cupcakes” - SA coach Shukri Conrad makes light of the pressure of the T20 World Cup semis

South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad was at his humorous best as he faced the media ahead of the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 between South Africa and New Zealand, which will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 4, 2026.

South Africa has reached the knockouts undefeated, including a big 76-run win over India, snapping their unbeaten run that began in the T20 World Cup 2024. Aiden Markram and his team have surpassed all expectations and are now the favorites to win the tournament.

Conrad boldly declared that his team would no longer be referred to as "chokers," while also making fun of the commentators.

“There’s always pressure; it’s about what you do with that pressure and how you shift that pressure. As for the ‘C’ word (choker), there’s another one called ‘cupcakes’ that we have to throw in; we don’t want to forget that,” Conrad told reporters at Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Before South Africa's match against India, the tournament's official broadcaster ran an ad featuring a South African fan choking on a cupcake and then receiving a bottle of water.

This was a reference to the Proteas' perpetual "choker" tag, which was applied to them after they lost to India in the previous tournament. Later, the advertisement was removed from the air. In Ahmedabad, South Africa proceeded to crush the hosts by 76 runs.

Conrad maintained that they will handle the pressure of beginning as favorites in Wednesday's semifinal matchup against New Zealand in Kolkata just fine.

“I don’t think it (pressure) will change anything. For us, it will be business as usual. We will start as favorites against New Zealand, probably because we’re the only unbeaten side in the tournament. But I don’t know if that adds to the pressure. Playing the semifinal is pressure enough. Playing a topside is pressure enough,” he said.

South Africa will be aiming to reach their second consecutive T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, who qualified only because Pakistan couldn’t better their net run rate in the win against Sri Lanka.

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