AHMEDABAD – South Africa produced a commanding all-round display to defeat West Indies by nine wickets in their Super Eights clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday, moving a step closer to the semifinals. Chasing a competitive 177-run target, the Proteas made light work of the total, racing to victory in just 16.1 overs with nine wickets in hand. The foundation was laid by an explosive opening partnership between Quinton de Kock and captain Aiden Markram. The duo attacked from the outset, bringing up a brisk 50-run stand to seize early momentum. De Kock narrowly missed out on a half-century, smashing 47 off 24 deliveries with four fours and four sixes before falling to Roston Chase.
Markram, however, remained in sublime touch. The skipper compiled an unbeaten 82 off 46 balls, his 14th T20I fifty, striking seven boundaries and four sixes. He found an able partner in Ryan Rickelton, who contributed a fluent 45 off 28 balls. Their 50-run stand took South Africa past the 150 mark and effectively sealed the contest.
Earlier, West Indies posted 176-8 after being put into bat. Openers Brandon King and skipper Shai Hope launched an aggressive start, but Kagiso Rabada dismissed Hope for 16 to break the 29-run opening stand. Rabada struck again to remove Shimron Hetmyer, triggering a collapse. Lungi Ngidi further dented the innings with two key wickets, reducing West Indies to 60-5 inside seven overs. Corbin Bosch also chipped in with two scalps.
The innings was revived by a spirited 89-run partnership between Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd. Holder fell just short of a half-century, run out for 49 off 31 balls, while Shepherd registered his maiden T20I fifty, finishing unbeaten on 52 off 37 deliveries. Ngidi led South Africa’s bowling with figures of 3-30, while Rabada and Bosch claimed two wickets each in a clinical performance that underlined the Proteas’ semifinal credentials.
INDIA CRUSH ZIMBABWE TO KEEP SEMIS HOPES ALIVE
India kept their semi-final hopes alive in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a commanding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in a Super Eights clash. Powered by explosive half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma (55 off 30) and Hardik Pandya (50* off 23), India posted a formidable 256/4. Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 44 provided the late surge. In reply, Zimbabwe managed 184/6 despite Brian Bennett’s valiant 97 not out. Arshdeep Singh led India’s bowling with 3/24, while Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel chipped in with a wicket each.
