ICC T20 WC 2026 : South Africa continue their winning streak, beat UAE and top in Group

By Vatsal Verma, New Delhi : South Africa defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) thanks to Corbin Bosch’s superb bowling. SA remained unbeaten in the group stage, winning all four of their matches. UAE scored 122 for six in 20 overs. In reply, South Africa won the match by scoring 123 for four in 13.2 overs. South Africa had already qualified for the Super Eight.

South Africa remained unbeaten in the group stage, winning all of their matches. The team topped the group with eight points from four matches. South Africa and New Zealand qualified for the Super Eight from Group D, while Afghanistan, UAE, and Canada were eliminated in the group stage. The previous runners-up, South Africa, will play the defending champions and hosts India in the first match of the Super Eight stage on February 22 in Ahmedabad. UAE started the bowling well, conceding just one run in the first over. However, captain Aiden Markram eased the pressure by hitting two fours off Junaid Siddiqui in the second over. In the third over, he reprimanded Haider Ali Shah for three fours and a six, but was bowled off the last ball. Markram scored 28 runs off 11 balls, including five fours and a six. New batsman Ryan Rickelton brought up South Africa’s fifty in the sixth over with two fours off Mohammad Jawadullah, but was caught by Haider Shah in the same over by Quinton de Kock. After the powerplay, the score was 56 for two.

Dewald Brevis, playing freely for the first time in the tournament, smashed Jawadullah over midwicket in the eighth over and then Haider Ali Shah for six over long-on in the next over. From the other end, Rickelton hit Mohammad Farooq for six in the 11th over, but was caught by Parashar off the next ball. Rickelton scored 30 runs off 16 balls. Brevis scored 36 runs off 25 balls, including one four and three sixes. Earlier, UAE’s innings consisted of 10 fours and two sixes. Except for Alishan Sharafu (45 off 38 balls), no batsman could sustain a single innings.

Despite this incredibly comfortable victory, fielding remains a major concerning area for the winning side. The team shockingly dropped four easy catches during the first innings. Experienced players like de Kock and Nortje failed to hold onto routine chances in the outfield. This sloppy effort highlights a vital area they must quickly fix before facing much tougher opponents in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.

The run chase was an explosive affair right from the very beginning. Markram batting was highly aggressive, as he smashed multiple boundaries during the early powerplay to completely crush any hopes of a surprise upset. Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis continued this fast-paced assault, freely hitting sixes and taking full control of the middle overs. They aggressively chased the target down without breaking a sweat, securing a massive confidence boost for the squad.