South Africa produced a professional display to edge out Zimbabwe in a competitive game in New Delhi to finish with 3 wins out of 3 games and top Group 1. South Africa were tested but they came out well and are set for the semi-finals. Sikandar Raza’s 73 after Zimbabwe won the toss and decided to bat first helped the Chevrons post 153/7 in 20 overs with others chipping in here and there while Maphaka and Bosch picked up 2 wickets apiece as well.
In reply, South Africa rode on Dewald Brevis’ quickfire 42 off 18 balls and others chipped in as well as South Africa thwarted the magical spell by Sikandar Raza who picked up 3/29 in 4 overs. But South Africa batted deep and took the game by the scruff of the necks to win the contest with more than 2 overs to spare. South Africa finished on top of the group as well.
Sikandar Raza’s masterful 73 helps Zimbabwe post a competitive 153/7 in 20 overs.Â
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Tadiwanashe Marumani and Brian Bennett came out to bat for Zimbabwe while George Linde took the ball from South Africa. Zimbabwe got off to a fast start as Marumani and Bennett got 13 off the first over bowled by Linde. But the opening stand was worth 14 runs before Marumani fell for 7 off 7 balls with one boundary to his name to Kwena Maphaka. Dion Myers came out to bat next.
Myers and Muzarabani tried to forge a partnership and added exactly another 14 runs to the tally before Bennett fell for 15 off 13 balls to Anrich Nortje as he was caught in the deep. Captain Sikandar Raza came out to bat next and inside the powerplay and started well. After seeing out the initial balls, Raza shifted gears and started to build a partnership. South Africa were 45/2 in 6 overs of powerplay.
Myers looked scratchy out in the middle while Raza was in full flow. Raza and Myers added 38 runs for the 3rd wicket before Myers fell for 11 off 16 balls with one boundary to his name to George Linde. Ryan Burl came out to bat next to join his skipper who was in the groove. Zimbabwe took their score after 10 overs to 80/3 with Raza holding fort.
The duo of Raza and Burl added 16 runs for the 4th wicket before Burl fell for 5 off 5 balls to Lungi Ngidi. Tony Munyonga came out to bat next. Munyonga also did not last long as another 5 runs were added to the tally before he fell for 2 off 5 balls to Corbin Bosch as the batter was cleaned up. Clive Madande came out to bat and offered good support to Raza. The captain was in total control of the innings and South Africa did not have answers against him.
Raza completed his fifty and carried on further than that. Madande looked good as well. Raza and Madande added 39 runs for the 6th wicket before the captain Raza finally fell for a magnificent 73 off 43 balls with 8 fours and 4 sixes to his name to Maphaka. Brad Evans came out to bat next. Madande did bulk of the scoring in the next partnership and added a valuable 20 runs with Evans. Evans fell for 8 off 11 balls with one six to his name to Bosch as the 7th wicket fell with 3 balls to go.
Wellington Masakadza came out to bat next and got off the mark. Madande hit a maximum off Bosch in the penultimate ball of the match and added a brace to end the innings. Zimbabwe finished with 153/7 in 20 overs with Madande unbeaten on 26 off 20 balls with 3 fours to his name while Masakadza was unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 5 extras given by the fielding side. The last wicket pair added 7 runs in 3 balls.
South Africa produced a decent bowling display. Kwena Maphaka was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/21 in 4 overs. Corbin Bosch finished with 2/40 in 4 overs. Lungi Ngidi finished with 1/29 in 4 overs. Anrich Nortje finished with 1/29 in 4 overs. George Linde finished with 1/22 in 3 overs. Aiden Markram bowled an over for 11 runs. This meant South Africa needed 154 runs to win off 20 overs to make it 3 wins out of 3 games.
Dewald Brevis’ powerful 42 helps South Africa get over the line and stays unbeaten in the tournament.Â
Chasing 154 for the win, captain Aiden Markram and keeper batter Quinton de Kock came out to bat for South Africa while Sikandar Raza took the ball for Zimbabwe. South Africa got off to a shaky start as it took three balls for the first wicket to fall as the score was 3 runs when de Kock fell for a silver duck to Raza as Marumani took a good catch. Ryan Rickelton came out to bat next.
Markram and Rickelton tried to forge a partnership and added 13 runs to the scoreboard before the captain Markram fell for 4 off 5 balls to Raza yet again. Dewald Brevis came out to bat next. Brevis was quickly off the blocks while Rickelton looked good but was hit off a short ball by Evans and was shaken and physio worked on him. Then he resumed and did well as he hit a few balls out of the ground. The duo added 29 runs for the third wicket before Rickelton fell for 31 off 22 balls with 4 sixes to his name to Evans as Burl took a fantastic catch in the deep.
David Miller came out to the middle next. But it was Brevis stealing the show. Miller took his time and then exploded as this partnership took the game away from Zimbabwe. Miller looked fluent out there and Brevis was on song as well. The duo added exactly 50 runs in quick time before Miller fell for 22 off 16 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Tristan Stubbs came out to bat next.
Brevis looked good and added 8 runs with Stubbs before Brevis fell for 42 off 18 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes to his name to Raza. South Africa had lost half their side but the required rate was under control with George Linde joining Stubbs. They played the situation calmly and took their side home. They made sure that there were no hiccups from here on and played the ball to the merit.
Linde was the aggressor of the two while Stubbs held his own and played anchor to take the side home. The duo added 53 runs and made sure that South Africa get over the line by 5 wickets with 13 balls to spare. South Africa finished with 154/5 in 20 overs with 4 extras given by the fielding side with Stubbs unbeaten on 21 off 24 balls and George Linde unbeaten on 30 off 21 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name. 4 extras given by the fielding side.
Zimbabwe bowlers tried hard especially their captain Sikandar Raza. Raza was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/29 in 4 overs. Blessing Muzarabani finished with 1/32 in 3.5 overs. Brad Evans finished with 1/22 in 3 overs. Graeme Cremer finished with 0/27 in 2 overs. Wellington Masakadza finished with 0/23 in 2 overs. Ryan Burl finished with 0/12 in 2 overs. Brian Bennett finished with 0/9 in 1 over. So, South Africa win by 5 wickets with 13 balls to spare to finish with 3 wins in 3 games. Sikandar Raza was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead.Â
So, South Africa finishes with 3 wins in 3 games and wins Group 1. They will face New Zealand on Wednesday in the first semi-final in Kolkata while Zimbabwe bows out. We have one more game to go and it is a virtual quarterfinal between India and West Indies live from Kolkata. The winner will make it to the semis and face England in Mumbai on Thursday. The loser goes home. A cracking contest awaits us all in Eden Gardens.
Let’s see how the match pans out for both teams.
Also Read: ICC T20 WC 2026: Sikandar Raza’s Brilliant Half-Century Takes Zimbabwe To Fighting Total.