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SA vs WI: Fans get excited as Aiden Markram takes South Africa to T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals

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South Africa performed brilliantly at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday, defeating West Indies by nine wickets in a one-sided Super 8 match and became the first team to qualify for it. t20 world cup 2026 Semifinals.

Clinical chase: Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock set the stage for South Africa

Chasing 177, South Africa’s opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram dismantled the West Indies bowling attack with a breathtaking partnership of 95 runs inside the first eight overs. De Kock was particularly aggressive, scoring 47 runs from just 24 balls before falling to Roston Chase, caught by Jason Holder at mid-wicket.

However, Markram continued to attack and found an able partner in Ryan Rickelton, who scored an unbeaten 45 off 28 balls. The pair added 82 runs in just 49 balls, with Markram completing his half-century in 30 balls and then accelerated. The Proteas skipper scored an unbeaten 82 off 46 balls, his innings comprising six fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 178.26.

South Africa reached 177/1 in just 16.1 oversTheir second highest successful chase in T20 World Cup history and the fastest by any team against the West Indies in the tournament.

West Indies innings: Jason Holder’s heroics take Caribbean total ahead

Earlier, South Africa captain Makram won the toss and decided to bowl first and the decision proved to be a bomb as the Proteas fast bowling quartet tore apart the top order. Kagiso Rabada struck early and dismissed Hope for 16 off 12 balls, while Lungi Ngidi took the prized wickets of Brandon King (21 off 11) and Roston Chase (2 off 2).

West Indies’ score was below normal at 60/5 in the 10th over. However, Jason Holder mounted a brilliant counter-attack, scoring 49 runs in just 31 balls with the help of three fours and four sixes. He was supported by Romario Shepherd, who scored 52 not out from 37 balls, and the pair added 89 runs for the eighth wicket.

Shepherd’s innings was particularly brutal, containing 3 fours and 4 sixes at a strike rate of 140.54. Their partnership took West Indies to a respectable score of 176/8 in 20 overs.

Lungi Ngidi was the best of the South African bowlers, taking the vital wickets of King, Powell and Chase with impressive figures of 3/30 from his four overs. Kagiso Rabada supported with 2/22, while Corbyn Bosch claimed 2/31, which also included the wicket of Sherfane Rutherford.

player of the match

Aiden Markram’s all-round performance earned him the Player of the Match award. The South African captain also took a sharp catch to remove Hetmyer and led his team with tactical acumen before producing a good performance with the bat.

See also: Keshav Maharaj screams for removal of Shimron Hetmyer during T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match

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Also read: IND vs ZIM, T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 – TNCA took unique step to stop dew in Chennai

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