South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs and George Linde walk off the field after winning the T20 World Cup cricket match between South Africa and Zimbabwe, while Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza wears a cap, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo) TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: “Even though there are bruises, we will try to win and get respect,” Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said ahead of the T20 World Cup Super Eights clash with India. But then they were hammered for 256 runs, just days after they were thrashed for 254 runs in the West Indies. Despite scoring 510 runs in two matches, on the eve of the match against South Africa, Zimbabwean bowling consultant Courtney Walsh reiterated that their achievements – beating Sri Lanka and Australia in the group stage – could not be ignored. “We wanted to make a statement here and I think the performance showed,” he said.A day later, Zimbabwe restored their pride and respect by pushing past the Proteas at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, which saw a crowd of nearly 20,000 on a hot Sunday afternoon. After winning by 5 wickets, South Africa remained unbeaten in the tournament. They will now approach the semi-final against New Zealand, to be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on March 4, with seven wins in a row.
India landed in Calcutta for WI-or-die clash | The semi-finals are on the line
Raza, quite aptly, led Zimbabwe’s efforts to create another upset in the competition. He scored 73 off 43 balls, loaded with eight fours and four sixes, to take the side to 153/7 before chipping in with 3/29 from his four overs, including a first-over knock that dismissed Quinton de Kock and added to South Africa’s woes with the wickets of Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis.Although South Africa lost four wickets in the first 10 overs, they stayed ahead of the scoring curve and produced 93 runs at the half. With Brevis falling not long after, Zimbabwe may have had reason to believe. Was another upset brewing? Was Zimbabwe on the verge of beating their ‘big brother’?Those faint hopes were dashed by Tristan Stubbs (unbeaten 21 off 24) and George Linde (unbeaten 30 off 21 balls) as they played an unbroken stand of 53 runs off 43 balls.Earlier, Raza’s sublime ball-striking stood out in an otherwise ordinary Zimbabwean batting line-up. Zimbabwe captain Raza blasted 73 off 43 balls as the rest of the batsmen struggled to find the same flow against high-quality pace.The batsmen, apart from Raza, tried to attack Kwen Maphak, Anrich Nortje and the in-form Lungi Ngidi but were unsuccessful.Quick Score:Zimbabwe: 153/7 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 73; Kwena Maphaka 2/21).South Africa: 154/5 in 17.5 overs (Ryan Rickelton 31, Dewald Brevis 42, George Linde; Sikandar Raza 3/29)
