SA vs UAE Stopped Due To Rain At Arun Jaitley Stadium; Super 8 Qualification To Change?

SA Vs UAE Stopped Due To Rain [Source: X.com]

The ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 match between South Africa and UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium was stopped due to rain on Wednesday, February 18. Notably, the interruption came right after the SA vs UAE innings break, just when South Africa were preparing to begin their chase.

Earlier, South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first under cloudy skies. UAE started strongly, with openers Aryansh Sharma and captain Muhammad Waseem adding 38 runs for the first wicket. Soon after, Waseem was dismissed for 22 in the fifth over.

South Africa restrict UAE  to 122/6  

Aryansh Sharma received an early chance to continue, yet he could not turn it into a big score and was out for 13 during the powerplay. As the innings moved forward, South Africa tightened their bowling and slowed the scoring rate.

Alishan Sharafu and Syed Haider Wasi Shah tried to rebuild the innings and took the team to 66/3 at the halfway stage. Shah struggled to settle and fell for six. Sharafu played a steady knock and looked set for a half-century, yet he was dismissed for 45 in the 18th over.

UAE finished with 122/6. Corbin Bosch led the bowling attack with 3/12, while Anrich Nortje and George Linde also chipped in with wickets. 

Arun Jaitley Stadium Weather Update for SA vs UAE T20 World Cup Match

The weather at the Arun Jaitley Stadium has not been ideal for cricket. The forecast for February 18 shows a high of 25°C, with a Real Feel of 25°C.

The probability of precipitation stands at 55 percent, while the chance of thunderstorms is 17 percent. Around 0.6 mm of rain is expected, with nearly 1.5 hours of possible rainfall. Cloud cover is high at 82 percent, and winds are blowing from the west-southwest at 9 km/h, with gusts up to 22 km/h. The air quality is reported to be very unhealthy, and the overall brightness index is dull.

At 1:19 PM IST, as confirmed by CREX, the rain stopped and the covers began to come off the field.

What if rain abandons SA vs UAE T20 World Cup match?

Even if rain affects the result, South Africa have little to worry about. They have already qualified for the Super 8 stage after winning all three of their previous matches in Group D. They sit at the top of the table with a strong net run rate of +1.477. 

Their campaign began with a 57-run win over Canada. They then tied with Afghanistan and secured victory in the second Super Over. After that, they defeated New Zealand by seven wickets to seal qualification.

New Zealand have also progressed to the Super 8. In contrast, UAE have had mixed results. They suffered a heavy defeat to New Zealand, then defeated Canada by five wickets. A close loss to Afghanistan followed. 

With just one win in three matches, UAE face a tough challenge. For South Africa, this SA vs UAE match holds less pressure, and even a washout will not affect their place in the next round.