New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner expressed immense satisfaction after guiding his team to a dominant 9-wicket victory over previously undefeated South Africa, securing a spot in the T20 World Cup final. Santner shared the tactical adjustments that led to their impressive win.

Santner highlighted that their previous encounter with the Proteas in the group stage, where South Africa decisively defeated them, served as a crucial learning experience for the Blackcaps.

Learning from Past Encounters

During the post-match presentation, Santner acknowledged South Africa’s strength throughout the tournament, calling their own performance in such a critical match «pretty pleasing.» He emphasized that both wins and losses offer valuable lessons, stating, «It was nice. I think we knew obviously how good South Africa is, and they’ve shown that throughout the tournament. So, to put on a performance like that in a crunch game is obviously pretty pleasing. I guess every time, you get shown up or you lose a game, you’re learning from it. I guess you learn when you win as well.»

Santner’s Tactical Masterstroke Against South Africa

Santner unveiled his tactical masterstroke: opting to introduce spinners early in the first innings, a departure from their previous strategy in Ahmedabad where pacers were prioritized and proved ineffective. This strategic shift aimed to challenge South Africa’s top order from the outset. He noted, «We obviously threw a little bit more spin at the start, which we didn’t do at Ahmedabad. But I think, if you can take wickets throughout, it’s obviously a challenge to keep going with the bat. There was always a plan for the first two overs (talking about the bowling tactics) and then it’s kind of free fall after that.»

He lauded opener Finn Allen for his «swashbuckling» century, which decisively took the game away from South Africa, noting his 100 runs off just 33 balls as «not bad at all.» Santner expressed hope for a similar performance in the final, where they await the winner of the India vs. England semi-final.

Praise for Finn Allen and Future Hopes

Santner also pointed out the challenges of playing on different grounds with varying pitch conditions (red soil, black soil, different-sized boundaries), making each game a unique test. Despite these factors, he concluded by expressing deep satisfaction with their dominant victory, saying, «And then obviously, Finny (Allen) just carried on and, I mean, 33 balls for 100, it’s not bad. Not bad at all. It’d be nice if we could (repeat this in the final). But again, it’s a different ground. We’ve been there before, obviously. I think depending on where you are, it’s red soil, black soil. You know, so there’s a lot of different factors that go in, different-sized rounds. So I think we’ll obviously be pretty happy tonight with the win.»

Mitchell Santner Yangi Zelandiyaning T20 Jahon Kubogi finaliga chiqishidagi Asosiy Strategiyani Oshkor Qildi

Yangi Zelandiya terma jamoasi sardori Mitchell Santner, oʻz jamoasini ilgari magʻlub boʻlmagan Janubiy Afrikaga qarshi 9 viketlik ustun gʻalabaga erishtirib, T20 Jahon Kubogi finaliga olib chiqqanidan soʻng, ulkan mamnuniyatini bildirdi. Santner ularning ajoyib gʻalabasiga olib kelgan taktik oʻzgarishlarni oshkor qildi.

Santner taʼkidlashicha, guruh bosqichida Proteasga qarshi oldingi oʻyin, yaʼni Janubiy Afrika ularni ustunlik bilan magʻlub etgan oʻyin, «Blackcaps» uchun muhim saboq boʻlgan.

Oʻtmishdagi Uchrashuvlardan Saboq Olish

Oʻyindan keyingi matbuot anjumanida Santner Janubiy Afrikaning butun turnir davomidagi kuchini tan oldi va oʻz jamoasining bunday muhim oʻyindagi oʻyinini «juda qoniqarli» deb atadi. U gʻalabalar ham, magʻlubiyatlar ham qimmatli saboqlarni berishini taʼkidlab, shunday dedi: «Bu juda yaxshi boʻldi. Janubiy Afrika qanchalik kuchli ekanini bilardik va ular buni butun turnir davomida koʻrsatishdi. Shunday qiyin oʻyinda shunday oʻyin koʻrsatish, albatta, juda yoqimli. Har safar, menimcha, magʻlub boʻlsangiz yoki oʻyinni boy bersangiz, undan saboq olasiz. Gʻalaba qozonganingizda ham saboq olasiz deb oʻylayman.»

Santnerning Janubiy Afrikaga Qarshi Taktik Mohirligi

Santner oʻzining taktik mohiratini oshkor qildi: birinchi inningda darhol spinchilarni ishga solish, avvalgi Ahmedabad strategiyasidan farqli oʻlaroq, u yerda tezkor boullerlarga ustunlik berilgan va ular samarasiz boʻlgan edi. Bu strategik oʻzgarish Janubiy Afrikaning yuqori tartibini boshidan qiyinchiliklarga duchor qilishga qaratilgan edi. U shunday dedi: «Biz boshida biroz koʻproq spin boullerlardan foydalandik, buni Ahmedabadda qilmagan edik. Ammo, menimcha, agar siz doimiy ravishda viketlar olsangiz, bat bilan davom etish qiyinlashadi. Dastlabki ikki over uchun har doim reja bor edi (bouling taktikasi haqida gapirayotganda), keyin esa bu oʻz-oʻzidan boʻlib ketdi.»

U oʻyinni Janubiy Afrikadan butunlay tortib olgan «shiddatli» ochuvchi Fin Allenning yuzlik zarbasini olqishladi va uning 33 toʻpda 100 yugurishini «mutlaqo yomon emas» deb baholadi. Santner finalda ham shunday oʻyin kutayotganini bildirdi, u yerda ular Hindiston va Angliya yarim final gʻolibini kutishadi.

Fin Allenga Maqtov va Kelajak Rejalari

Santner shuningdek, turli maydonlarda, turli xil pitch sharoitlarida (qizil tuproq, qora tuproq, har xil oʻlchamdagi chegaralar) oʻynash qiyinchiliklarini taʼkidladi, bu har bir oʻyinni noyob sinovga aylantirdi. Ushbu omillarga qaramay, u oʻzlarining ustun gʻalabalari bilan chuqur mamnunligini bildirib, shunday dedi: «Va keyin, albatta, Finni (Allen) davom etdi va, menimcha, 33 toʻpda 100 yugurish, yomon emas. Umuman yomon emas. Finalda ham shunday boʻlishini xohlar edik. Ammo yana, bu boshqa maydon. Biz u yerda avval ham boʻlganmiz, albatta. Menimcha, qayerda boʻlishingizga qarab, qizil tuproq, qora tuproq boʻladi. Bilasizmi, juda koʻp turli omillar, turli oʻlchamdagi maydonlar mavjud. Shunday qilib, biz bu kecha gʻalaba bilan juda xursand boʻlamiz deb oʻylayman.»