T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand and South Africa faced off in the 24th match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. South Africa pulled off a comfortable win, beating New Zealand by 7 wickets. Their captain, Aiden Markram, led from the front with an unbeaten half-century and helped South Africa notch up their third straight victory in the group stage, which is a real statement from the Proteas.
South Africa won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat. New Zealand managed 175 for 7 in their 20 overs. Chasing 176, South Africa made it look easy, cruising to 178 for 3 in just 17.1 overs. Markram smashed the fastest T20 World Cup fifty ever for South Africa and finished with a brilliant 86 not out off 44 balls. Marco Jansen picked up Player of the Match for his bowling.
On the South African side, De Kock went for 20. Markram was unstoppable, hitting his half-century in just 19 balls. Rickelton and Brewis chipped in with 21 each. David Miller stuck around with Markram, ending on 24 not out from 17 balls. For New Zealand, Ferguson, Neesham, and Rachin Ravindra took one wicket each.
New Zealand’s batting didn’t quite click. Tim Seifert went for 13, Finn Allen got to 31, and Rachin Ravindra managed 13. Glenn Phillips barely troubled the scorers with just one run. Mark Chapman tried to steady things with 48, and Daryl Mitchell added 32. Captain Mitchell Santner only lasted for 4. Neesham was unbeaten on 23, and Matt Henry stayed not out on 9 at the end. Marco Jansen was the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets, while Ngidi, Maharaj, and Bosch grabbed one apiece. South Africa dominated both with bat and ball, and with Markram in this kind of form, they’re looking dangerous in the tournament.
New Zealand’s Playing XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (captain), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.
South Africa’s Playing XI: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brewis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Janssen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
