In their concluding Group 1 Super Eights match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday, South Africa maintained their flawless record in the ICC T20 World Cup by defeating Zimbabwe by five wickets.
South Africa, having secured victories in all seven of their matches thus far, is set to face New Zealand in one of the semifinal contests.
The victory, achieved with 13 balls remaining, seemed quite secure, yet Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza, who had previously scored an impressive 73 to provide stability to the Zimbabwe innings, gave the South Africans an early scare as they commenced their pursuit of Zimbabwe’s modest total of 153 for seven.
Initially, the enigmatic spinner had Quinton de Kock dismissed behind the stumps for a zero with his third delivery of the opening over, and then he bowled Aiden Markram with a delivery that stayed a bit low in his second over.
Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis showcased an aggressive approach, scoring 29 runs off 18 deliveries, with Rickelton finding his rhythm after recovering from a hit to the helmet by pacer Brad Evans.
The left-handed batsman eventually resumed play after a lengthy pause but fell to Evans while attempting a fifth six, which was brilliantly caught at long-on by Ryan Burl.
David Miller took over for Rickelton, and alongside Brevis, they propelled South Africa’s frantic scoring, accumulating 50 runs in just 25 deliveries, before both were dismissed in rapid succession.
Miller skillfully directed a delivery from Blessing Mazarabani towards short third, resembling a practice session for the fielder, while Brevis, after showcasing his usual flair with a brisk 42 off 18 deliveries (2 fours, 4 sixes), misjudged the ball to strike in Raza’s last over, executing a slog-sweep that was caught by Burl at long-on as he sprinted forward.
At the midpoint of the innings, South Africa was comfortably ahead of the required run-rate, but with half the players dismissed, they required some composed performances to guide them to victory.
The service was effectively delivered by Tristan Stubbs and George Linde, who managed to play in a relatively cautious manner, scoring 53 runs off 44 deliveries in the latter part of the innings before securing victory with 13 balls remaining.
Stubbs concluded his innings with a score of 21 runs off 24 deliveries, while the more dynamic Linde made 30 runs from 21 balls.
🚨 GAME OUTCOME 🚨
From the Group Stage to the Super 8, #TheProteas are still showcasing their strength in the #T20WorldCup! 💪😎
Concluding an undefeated journey to the knockout stage with a solid five-wicket win against Zimbabwe in Delhi. 🇿🇦🏏#Unbreakable pic.twitter.com/0htYbT6POv — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) March 1, 2026
SOLO PALM
Previously, Raza had taken on the challenge almost single-handedly, scoring an impressive 73 runs off 43 deliveries as South Africa’s bowling unit limited Zimbabwe to a total of 153 for seven wickets.
Zimbabwe won the coin toss and chose to bat first on a superb pitch ideal for batting, complemented by a lightning-quick outfield. South Africa made three adjustments to their lineup, with Kwena Mphaka and Anrich Nortje taking the places of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, while spinner Linde came in for Keshav Maharaj.
It was Mphaka who achieved the first breakthrough during his initial over, clean bowling Tadiwanashe Marumani as the ball curved into the right-handed batsman.
Mphaka also performed admirably, securing the crucial wicket of Raza, who was caught off a leading edge by Miller at point. The young left-arm fast bowler concluded with impressive figures of 2-21 in four overs, while Bosch took 2-40.
It was no surprise that Raza earned the player of the match title for his impressive half-century and remarkable bowling stats of 3-29. “We’ve improved with each game,” the Zimbabwean captain remarked afterward, “and we return home filled with hope that we can keep progressing.”
An outstanding display deserving of the Player of the Match title 🇿🇼🏆
Sikander Raza concludes his journey in the #T20WorldCup with flair 👏#SSCricket pic.twitter.com/gNABVtROgT — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) March 1, 2026
Aiden Markram, the captain of South Africa, expressed his satisfaction with the victory, stating, “It’s great to secure the win. Integrating new players can be challenging, and while we aimed to be sharper with the bat, we managed to pull through. I was happy with our performance in both bowling and fielding. Now, we’re looking ahead to our match against New Zealand in Kolkata.”
ZIMBABWE: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wicketkeeper), Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (captain), Tony Munyonga, Clive Madande, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Kwena Maphaka, Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje
