Skipper Aiden Markram led from the front with a commanding unbeaten 82 as South Africa thrashed the West Indies by nine wickets in their Super 8 clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Chasing a competitive target of 177, the Proteas were relentless from the outset and romped home in just 16.1 overs, losing only one wicket. With this emphatic victory, South Africa remains unbeaten in the tournament and moves a step closer to sealing a semifinal berth. West Indies, meanwhile, must now beat India in a do-or-die encounter to stay alive in the competition.
Markram and Quinton de Kock set the tone immediately, plundering 11 runs off the first over. The duo made full use of the powerplay, racing to 69 without loss in six overs. De Kock was particularly destructive, smashing 47 off just 24 deliveries, including four fours and four sixes, before falling to Roston Chase in the eighth over.
The breakthrough, however, did little to slow South Africa’s charge. Markram brought up his half-century in just 27 balls and continued to dominate the bowling attack with crisp strokeplay. He finished unbeaten on 82, striking seven fours and four sixes. Ryan Rickelton provided ideal support with a fluent, unbeaten 45 as South Africa completed the chase with 23 balls to spare.
Earlier, West Indies staged a remarkable recovery through Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd to post 176/8 in their 20 overs.
Asked to bat first, the Caribbean side made a blazing start. Captain Shai Hope smashed 16 runs in the opening over off Keshav Maharaj, while Brandon King followed with three consecutive boundaries against Marco Jansen in the next over.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the third over when Kagiso Rabada struck twice, dismissing Hope (16) and Shimron Hetmyer (2) in quick succession. With those wickets, Rabada became South Africa’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history with 32 scalps.
Lungi Ngidi compounded West Indies’ woes by removing King for a brisk 21 off 11 balls and striking again soon after. At the end of the powerplay, West Indies were reeling at 52/4. The slide continued as Corbin Bosch dismissed Sherfane Rutherford and later Matthew Forde, while Ngidi accounted for Rovman Powell to leave the innings in disarray at 82/6.
With the top order dismantled, former captain Holder and Shepherd launched a spirited counterattack. The pair stitched together a vital 89-run partnership to revive the innings and push the total to a competitive mark.
Shepherd brought up his half-century in 37 balls and remained unbeaten on 52, hammering three fours and four sixes. Holder narrowly missed out on a well-deserved fifty, falling for a fluent 49 off 31 balls, which included four boundaries and three sixes.
Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/30, while Rabada (2/22) and Bosch (2/31) provided excellent support in a clinical bowling display that ultimately set up South Africa’s dominant chase.