Brief Scores: South Africa (177/1 in 16.1 overs) beat West Indies (176/8 in 20 overs) by 9 wickets in Ahmedabad in a Super 8 match.
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South Africa continued their dominating run at the T20 World Cup and boosted their chances of securing a place in the semi-finals. On Thursday 26 February, the Proteas won their sixth match in a row in the tournament after defeating the West Indies by nine wickets in Ahmedabad. But apart from South Africa, India also had reasons to be happy, with their semi-final fate somewhat hanging on the game.
Ahead of India’s clash with Zimbabwe, fans in Chennai had been watching South Africa’s match closely from the press boxes and other vantage points, and their prayers did not go in vain. Now that South Africa have won, India have some breathing room, giving them an excellent chance to advance to the semi-finals if they manage to beat Zimbabwe and the West Indies in their last two matches.
While Zimbabwe are also in the running, among the four teams in the Super 8 group, the odds of Zimbabwe winning the match look bleak, with South Africa, West Indies and India the top contenders to advance to the semi-finals.
Against the West Indies, South Africa came out with clear intent, which was evident in the way they batted after chasing 177 with 23 balls to spare. For India now, a win against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium would be a perfect end to the day.
HOLDER, WEST INDIAN RESCUE SHEPHERD
After being asked to bat first, West Indies came out with intent and did not hesitate to play their shots even at the cost of losing wickets. While they managed some big hits, they also lost wickets regularly and found themselves at 52 for four in the powerplay. Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi ensured the Proteas continued to penetrate the opposition batting.
Brandon King and Shai Hope opened with 21 and 16 shots respectively, but neither could keep up the pace. Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and Matthew Forde also failed to deliver as West Indies collapsed to 83 for seven in 10.2 overs.
From there, Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder put their heads together to help West Indies recover to 176 for eight. With the team once in danger of being bowled out below 100, Shepherd and Holder combined for 89 runs and an eighth wicket stand from 57 balls.
Holder and Shepherd’s partnership became the highest for the eighth wicket in T20 World Cup history. Holder scored 49 while Shepherd remained unbeaten on 52 from 37 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes. The duo started cautiously but once they settled down, they played their shots fearlessly and guided West Indies closer to the 180-run mark.
For the Proteas, Lungi Ngidi was the outstanding bowler, finishing with figures of 4-0-30-3, while Rabada and Corbin Bosch took two wickets each.
MARKRAM SPRINGS IN RUN-CHASE
Chasing 177, South Africa did not take much time to play their strokes and got off to a flying start. Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock did not let the West Indies bowlers settle down at any stage. Markram held the scoreboard in the first overs after which de Kock took over. Once South Africa scored 69 runs in the power play, the writing was on the wall for West Indies.
Markram and de Kock eventually put on 95 runs for the opening wicket to put South Africa in the lead. Markram was lucky twice in his innings to make the West Indies pay. First Brandon King dropped him off Matthew Ford in the third over and then Roston Chase dropped him off his own bowling in the 12th over.
Markram reached his 50 off 27 balls to lead the Proteas over the finish line, finishing unbeaten on 82 off 46 balls with seven fours and four sixes. De Kock also scored 47 off 24 before Chase claimed his wicket.
Following de Kock’s departure, Markram was supported by Ryan Rickelton. The left-hander scored an unbeaten 45 off 28 balls in an unbeaten 82 as South Africa reached the target in 16.1 overs.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
26 Feb 2026 18:18 IST
