7th over: South Africa 52-2 (Markram 17, Brevis 17) Seifert has passed a concussion test but is going to keep wicket in a helmet. With the Powerplay done, the New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, the craftiest of left-arm spinners, comes into the attack.

His first over, full of subtlety and variation, yields only four singles for South Africa. It hasn’t been the kind of flying start we’re used to from South Africa but I think they’ll be pretty happy with their recovery from 12 for 2. If they keep wickets in hand they could be devastating at the death.

6th over: South Africa 48-2 (Markram 16, Brevis 15) A sharp lifter from Ferguson beats Brevis and gets really big on the keeper Seifert, who can only deflect it into his face. I think he’s okay but the physio has come on during the drinks break. Being hit in the coupon by a Lockie Ferguson delivery can’t be much of an experience.

5th over: South Africa 45-2 (Markram 15, Brevis 14) Markram was an unfulfilled talent for so long, almost a decade, but these days he bats with a formidable combination of authority and skill. When the new bowler Jimmy Neesham tries to follow him outside leg stump, Markram clips wristily into the crowd at midwicket. Some shot, that.

Brevis turns a good over into a huge one – 17 from it – by cover-driving successive boundaries. Brilliant batting.

4th over: South Africa 28-2 (Markram 8, Brevis 5) Two right-handers at the crease now, so McConchie is replaced by the rapid Lockie Ferguson. Markram clips his third ball towards midwicket, where Ravindra drops a pretty simple chance. You’ve just dropped the T20 World Cup, etc.

Ravindra was in a similar position to Herschelle Gibbs when he famously dropped Steve Waugh in 1999. Markram, who pumped 86 not out against New Zealand in the group stage, salts the wound by lashing the next ball over the off side for four.

3rd over: South Africa 22-2 (Markram 3, Brevis 4) Henry swings a rare loose delivery down the leg side for five wides. That aside it’s a tight and accurate over, with only one single from the six legitimate deliveries.

“If Matt Henry does well today having flown from (essentially) one side of the world to the other, scurried into the hospital ward to watch his child arrive, then flown back again and run (splendidly) onto the ground the next day to deliver those corridor-of-uncertainty pearls whilst processing total flight-based delirium, he deserves an OBE,” writes Ben Bernards. “I suspect he will in fact be collared mercilessly.”

2nd over: South Africa 16-2 (Markram 2, Brevis 4) Dewald Brevis snicks the hat-trick ball wide of the keeper for four!

That over is surely one of the greatest moments of McConchie’s career. He’s 34, playing only his 16th T20 international, and before today he had never taken a wicket at a World Cup. Cricket can be such an old charmer when it wants.

1st over: South Africa 7-0 (Markram 1, De Kock 6) Henry starts with a very tight line, particularly to De Kock, who is so dangerous when he can free his arms. After three dot balls in a row, Henry drops slightly short and is mullered over square leg for a big six. A reminder that a bowler’s margin for error in this format is almost non-existent.

“Hello Rob,” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “If a match between Australia and India is tge one where you want both to lose this one is where you want both of them to win. Winning all their matches has never been a good sign when you enter the knockout stage and on that statistic I will go with New Zealand reaching the final.”

I think South Africa will be too strong, but the toss makes it maybe a 55/45 match.

It’ll be fascinating to see who opens the bowling along with Matt Henry. There is some talk that Mitchell Santner, who rarely bowls in the Powerplay, might start in the hope of stifling his opposite number Aiden Markram. The trouble with that is that the left-handed Quinton de Kock could do damage against Santner’s left-arm spin, plus you lose at least one over from Santner later in the innings.

This week’s Spin is a particularly good read

“I wish cricket was that easy,” said Aiden Markram, the South Africa captain and the highest-scoring batter remaining in the competition. “Both teams have played a lot of cricket since [SA beat New Zealand in the group stage] and it’s a completely fresh start. I don’t think it’s as straightforward as being able to repeat that again. With regards to us being favourites or not, that’s all different people’s opinions.”

Mitchell Santner insisted the teams reconvene as equals. “Whether you want to call us underdogs or not, for us it was everyone’s goal throughout the tournament to get to this stage. We’re here now, and we back ourselves in one-off games against most teams,” he said. “South Africa look a very good outfit but they’re in the same boat as us now – it’s one game and you’re into a final.”