New Delhi, March 1 – An unbeaten South Africa has brought in Kwena Maphaka, Anrich Nortje, and George Linde, as Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first in the Super Eights clash of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.
South Africa, who have already qualified for the semi-finals, had hinted in the pre-match press conference that they would look to rest some of their key players, which they did during their victory over the UAE in New Delhi.
With Kagiso Rabada, Marcos Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj rested, a win for the Proteas here will guarantee them as Group 1 toppers. “They've been working behind the scenes and deserve some game time. This also gives us a chance to see them in action if any injuries occur going forward.”
“We would have also batted first, as we have been performing well and wanted to see how we go batting first. The aim is to continue doing what we've been doing well,” said South Africa captain Aiden Markram.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said Richard Ngarava and Tashinga Musekiwa are unavailable due to injuries, and have brought back Wellington Masakadza and Graeme Cremer into their playing eleven, as they aim to end the tournament on a high note.
“It’s a day game, and we have a few injuries, so we're going to bat, as it suits our game plan. We've seen the reality, and we have to see how we can improve and become a mid-table team in 18 months’ time.”
Playing XIs
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka, and Lungi Ngidi
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (captain), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Clive Madande, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, and Blessing Muzarabani
