Dominant South Africa Cruise Past West Indies As They Inch Closer To T20 World Cup Semi-Finals

South Africa beat the West Indies by 9 wickets [Source: ProteasMenCSA/X.com]

South Africa met West Indies in an all-important Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Both teams came into the match with one-sided wins over India and Zimbabwe, respectively and had a chance to seal the semi-final spot in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Considering the net run-rates in their Super 8 group, a West Indies win would have put India's tournament under threat. However, as has been the case throughout the tournament so far, the Proteas once again put on a spirited all-round performance and brushed the Caribbeans aside to make it 6 wins in a row in the tournament.

As South Africa book their tickets to the semi-finals, here's how the match unravelled in Ahmedabad.

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Proteas pacers dismantle in-form WI middle order

Upon being put in to bat first by South Africa, Brandon King and Shai Hope briefly went after Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen in the powerplay and added 29 in the first two overs. The experienced Kagiso Rabada then took matters into his hands and rocked up with a double-wicket third over, conceding only 3 runs off it.

He sent back the dangerous-looking captain Shai Hope on 16 off 6, followed by the explosive Shimron Hetmyer just 2 balls after he was dropped on a duck to put South Africa in the contest. Arguably the best Proteas bowler of the tournament, Lungi Ngidi, then followed up with Brandon King’s wicket in the next over on 21 off 11 after 5 fours.

Roston Chase was also dismissed by Ngidi in the same over for 2(3) to reduce the Caribbeans to 43/4. They soon found themselves 60/5, 71/6 and 83/7 in 10.3 overs, courtesy of two wickets for Corbin Bosch and another big wicket of Rovman Powell for Ngidi.

Holder and Shepherd lead the Caribbean fightback

When the West Indies found themselves down and out of the match, the all-rounder duo of Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd put their arms up and added 89 off 57 for the 8th wicket. They particularly went after Jansen, scoring 23 off one of his overs and ended his spell with 0/50. Maharaj was also attacked, and 43 runs were accumulated from his 4 overs.

In their rescue effort, Shepherd reached his maiden T20I fifty, scoring 52 off 37 with three fours and four sixes, and Holder was run out in the final over for 49 off 31 with four fours and three big sixes. For the Proteas, Ngidi got 3/30 in his 4 overs, Rabada picked 2/22, and Bosch ended his spell with 2/31. South Africa were asked to chase down 177 runs in 20 overs.

Markram and de Kock go all guns blazing

Carrying his good form from the group stage, captain Aiden Markram led the run chase from the front alongside the experienced Quinton de Kock. The duo looked to be cruising towards the target in the first half of the chase, with 95 runs without losing a wicket in 8 overs.

The southpaw took his time to settle in with just 9 runs from the first 10 balls, but Markram batted in full flow and scored 43* (20) in the powerplay. The skipper played some exquisite back-foot punches as he did in the first few matches of the tournament before de Kock eventually took off and ended with 47 (24) with four fours and four sixes.

Markram-Rickelton add finishing touches

Another in-form left-hand batter, Ryan Rickelton, joined the captain when the score read 95/1 in 8 overs. He kept the momentum going and scored a swashbuckling 45 off 28 with four fours and two sixes. Markram finished with an unbeaten 82 in just 46 balls with 7 fours and four sixes to his name.

The 82*(50) partnership for the 2nd wicket facilitated a 9-wicket win for South Africa as they sealed the second spot in the final four of the tournament, with a match to be played.

Up next, South Africa will face Zimbabwe in their final Super 8 fixture on March 1, followed by the West Indies vs India clash later on the same day in the last match of the round. It could also be a virtual knockout game if India defeats Zimbabwe later tonight.

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