New Delhi, February 28 – South Africa will aim to continue their unbeaten streak in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup when they face Zimbabwe in their final match of the Super Eights, which will be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
South Africa has been a strong force in this tournament, winning all six of their matches while maintaining a run rate of 10, the highest among all teams. A win against Zimbabwe would extend their winning streak to seven games, their second-best unbeaten run in this format.
Captain Aiden Markram has been instrumental in South Africa’s success, scoring 264 runs at a strike rate of 178 across six innings, including three half-centuries. His strike rate of 200 in the powerplay is the highest among all batters who have faced 50 or more deliveries in that phase in this tournament.
He is also on track to break the record for most runs scored by a captain in a single T20 World Cup edition, currently held by Pakistan's Babar Azam, who scored 303 runs in 2021. With Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton contributing valuable runs, South Africa's top order averages 42.1, just behind Zimbabwe's 44.8.
South Africa's batters have also been the most effective against spin bowlers in this tournament, scoring at 9.9 runs per over, the best figure among all teams. Excluding de Kock and David Miller, almost all of South Africa's batters have a strike rate of more than 140 against spin. This will be a significant challenge for Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl, who are primarily responsible for their spin bowling.
Besides their strong batting performance, South Africa's pace attack has also been outstanding in this World Cup, taking 37 wickets – the most by any team. Lungi Ngidi has been their standout bowler, taking 11 wickets at an economy of 6.8, and needs one more to become the South African bowler with the most wickets in T20Is, surpassing Tabraiz Shamsi, who has 89 wickets.
Marco Jansen has also been equally effective, taking 11 wickets with a best of 4-22. Kagiso Rabada, who struggled in the initial matches, has improved significantly, with his economy rate dropping from 10.2 in his first two matches to 6.9 in the last four.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe, who have already been eliminated, will be playing for pride. Their campaign included notable wins against Sri Lanka and Australia, allowing them to top Group B before heavy defeats against West Indies and India in the Super Eights.
While Zimbabwe will return home after Sunday's match, they have already produced one of the most compelling individual stories of the competition – the emergence of opener Brian Bennett. The right-handed opener has scored 277 runs in five innings, with only one dismissal, giving him an average of 277.
Bennett will aim to capitalize on the batting-friendly conditions in New Delhi, as he needs 43 more runs to break Virat Kohli's record of 319 runs in a single T20 World Cup campaign. A further half-century would also make him the fifth batter in history to score four fifties in a single edition, joining Kohli, Azam, and Matthew Hayden.
Bennett has received limited support from the other batters, and Zimbabwe will hope for improved performances. In the bowling department, Zimbabwe had a successful league stage, with an economy rate of 7.2. However, West Indies and India posted totals exceeding 250 in consecutive matches, which will pose a challenge for Zimbabwe's bowling attack.
The Arun Jaitley Stadium has favored the chasing side in this tournament, with four out of the five matches won by the team batting second. South Africa has a perfect record at the ground, including their victory over UAE in the final Group D match, and have a 7-1 head-to-head record against Zimbabwe.
For South Africa, winning on Sunday is crucial, as a victory will secure their place in the knockout stage with an unbeaten record. For Zimbabwe, it's a chance to end their World Cup campaign on a high note, despite their underwhelming performance in the last two matches.
When: Sunday, March 1, 3:00 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming
Squads
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wk), Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Jason Smith, and Tristan Stubbs
Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Ben Curran, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, and Richard Ngarava
