South African center Kagiso Rabada celebrates with teammates (AP Photo/Bikas Das) Former England captain Michael Vaughan has reignited the debate after the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup by suggesting that the South African national cricket team made a tactical error when they defeated the West Indies cricket team in their Super 8 clash.Played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the match ended with South Africa securing a comfortable victory by nine wickets. The result had a big impact on the tournament equation as it allowed the Indian national cricket team to stay in contention for the semi-finals. Later that day, India defeated the Zimbabwe national cricket team to keep their campaign alive.
Gautam Gambhir reflects on India’s World Cup win and Sanju Samson’s support in the tournament
On the “Stick to Cricket” podcast, Vaughan noted that South Africa may have inadvertently helped India stay in the race by winning this particular game.“I’m telling you who I think is the dumbest team in the tournament? South Africa. Because if South Africa had allowed West Indies to beat them in the Super 8s, India would have been knocked out. I’m just saying – if they had cleaned them out, the juggernaut that was coming would have stopped.”“By winning that game, they allowed the juggernaut to continue. India then beat Zimbabwe, then the West Indies in a sort of quarter-final and then England. South Africa had to play another game against Zimbabwe and they even rested three players for that game,” Vaughan said on the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast.According to Vaughan, teams looking to win the World Cup sometimes benefit from eliminating the strongest side early in the competition rather than allowing them to build momentum.“Look, these things shouldn’t happen and they usually don’t. I’m just saying if you want to win the World Cup, the best way is to knock out the best team early,” Vaughan added.After their victory over Zimbabwe, India’s next match against the West Indies effectively turned into a knock-out contest. In this high-pressure game, Sanju Samson produced a match-winning unbeaten 97 to lead India to a five-wicket victory and seal a place in the semi-finals as West Indies’ campaign ends.Meanwhile, South Africa traveled to Kolkata for the first semi-final to face the New Zealand national cricket team. Led by Mitchell Santner, the Black Caps dominated the contest and sealed a nine-wicket win. The highlight of the chase was a sensational 33-ball century by Finn Allen, which helped New Zealand sail into the final. India eventually won the T20 World Cup 2026.
