Both sides, West Indies and South Africa, look to retain some exciting brands of cricket in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. Now, they are preparing for a direct confrontation. West Indies will face South Africa on 26 February in Ahmedabad.
This article will provide in-depth information about the probable playing XI of West Indies and South Africa. Proving their worth in the group stage, both teams qualified for the next stage as eligible candidates. They qualified to the eighth round as one of the strongest sides in the competition. Their batsmen in particular did some serious work.
Playing XI of West Indies vs South Africa – T20 World Cup 2026:
Openers: Brandon King and Shai Hope.
While Brandon King can provide a calm, collective mentality in the middle, captain Shai Hope will not dare to take high-risk shots. King has made a very good contribution on the scoreboard so far in the T20 World Cup 2026. However, Shai Hope, one of the household names in the world of Twenty20 cricket, has not been able to show his best performance yet.
Middle-order: Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell and Jason Holder.
There is no dearth of firepower in the batting lineup of the West Indies cricket team. Shimron Hetmyer has been in excellent form since the beginning of the tournament. Sherfane Rutherford also showed glimpses of his aggressive batting.
Rovman Powell also made some efforts to keep one end of the crease untouched. But the unsung hero in the team could be experienced all-rounder captain Jason Holder, who can contribute equally well with bat and ball.
Bowlers: Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Moti and Shamar Joseph.
The bowling department lacks depth as well as quality compared to the batting line-up. The Caribbean bowling attack relies mostly on spinner Akeal Hosein. Fast bowler Shamar Joseph has the ability to do wonders with the white ball.
West Indies’ playing 11: Brandon King, Shai Hope (captain and wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Moti and Shamar Joseph.
South Africa vs West Indies-T20 World Cup 2026 Playing 11:
Openers: Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram.
An opening pair with two experienced batsmen could be enough to knock West Indies out of the contest in Ahmedabad on February 26. With immediate effect, the West Indies bowlers must invest heavily in breaking the duo of Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram.
Middle-order: Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brewis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs.
Marco Jansson can also be considered in the list of batsmen, as he was often useful with his batting efforts. Among the middle-order batsmen, Ryan Rickelton is in good form and will remain a constant threat to the bowlers. Brevis and Stubbs can cause serious damage through their cameos. And David Miller can get his team back on track under pressure.
Bowlers: Marco Jansen, George Linde, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada.
On paper, the South African bowling line-up looks stronger than the West Indies bowling department. Along with Johnson, Kagiso Rabada or Lungi Ngidi will also be present to put pressure on the opposition batsmen. Keshav Maharaj and George Linde could be the weak link in the Proteas’ playing combination. In the middle stage of the game, when the spinners will be in action, it will be exciting to see how they can put pressure on the attacking batsmen.
South Africa’s playing 11: Quinton de Kock (w), Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brewis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Johnson, George Linde, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada.
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