South Africa vs Canada HIGHLIGHTS, T20 World Cup 2026: SA thump CAN for 57-run win in Ahmedabad

Lungi Ngidi | Player of the Match: I think it’s the fact that I have to find a way to take wickets. I’m willing to take those risks. You know, sometimes they go for boundaries, but bowling those risky balls sometimes pay off and they end up in the wickets column. So that’s pretty much the way I play the T20 game, and I’m just looking to keep doing more of the same.

(On a new opposition) That's actually one of the things that we struggled with tonight. It’s the game plan for guys that you haven’t seen much of. So it was trial and error as we were going, and I think as you could see, some of the balls would go for boundaries and then we kind of shift and we have a chat in the middle and then try something different. In the end, up front it was pretty simple with the new ball, but once the game got further on, it was pretty much trial and error all the way to the end.

(Dew impact) It did have a bit of an impact. You could see once you bowled a touch fuller, it would sort of just slide on. The slow balls were still holding up a little bit, but yeah, the ball did seem to be sliding on a bit better and they connected a few pretty well, which kind of let us know that, okay, it is playing a bit of an effect. We knew that obviously our attack brings pace, but for me, I feel like the variations are always the ones that catch people out. I try to do what I do best, which is keep it simple, good lengths, and then keep changing up the pace and keep guys guessing.

Slower-bumper from Rabada and Dhaliwal slaps it behind square for FOUR. In the slot and Dhaliwal pummels it down the ground for another FOUR. Rabada continues to attack the stumps as Canada bring up 150 in the penultimate over.

CAN 150/7 in 19 overs

Fifty for Dhaliwal in 39 balls against the run of the overall state of play in this innings. He's played some excellent shots on the off-side, both against pace and spin.

CAN 132/5 in 17 overs

A streak of singles and there comes another exquisite stroke as Dhaliwal advances to pump Maharaj's length ball over long-off for a huge SIX.

CAN 110/4 in 14 overs

Rabada returns. He hits the length and Dhaliwal lifts the ball nimbly over extra cover for FOUR. The ball pings off the blade in a flash to the boundary and Rabada immediately falls back to a fuller ball onto the pads. He follows up with a no-ball. A wide to follow but Rabada ends up conceding only one off his next two deliveries.

CAN 96/4 in 12 overs

Jansen returns

Starts with a length ball that beats Thaker on the outside. A single to follow. A rip-snorter from Jansen. Dhaliwal had no clue whatsoever as Jansen pounded the pitch with that delivery, climbing awkwardly past the batter's shoulder. Short but this time Dhaliwal's in position to unleash a superb hook for SIX! That will give him a world of confidence as Canada continue to fight it out.

CAN 72/4 in 9 overs

Corbin Bosch into the attack

Sharp lines of attack from Bosch as he leaves no room for the batters. Just the four singles from the over.

CAN 54/4 in 7 overs

A third for Ngidi. He slides it in and Movva flicks it down leg for FOUR. Length ball outside off and Movva taps it past backward point for FOUR more! Ngidi cuts on pace and rolls one into the strip and Movva watchfully taps it out. Uh oh! Ngidi falls in his follow through as Movva chips the slower ball just past him. Ngidi tumbles while attempting to stretch his right arm and he is down on the ground. The physio arrives to stretch his right leg out. He is back up and running, finishing up with another loopy slow ball.

CAN 44/3 in 5 overs

Ngidi overpitches and Samra leans into a beautiful drive through cover for FOUR. Excellent correction in lengths and Ngidi strikes back by producing another outside-edge to the keeper. The wobble delivery hits the length and scuttles across, taking Samra's edge along the way. Nicholas Kirton is in at 4. Ngidi beats him first up off a shorter length and goes fuller this time and Kirton smokes it through point for another FOUR. WICKET! Another one goes down! All Ngidi needs to do now is hit the shorter lengths and this time Kirton mistimes the pull straight to Rabada at mid-on.

Yuvraj Samra c †de Kock b Ngidi 12 (8b 3x4); Nicholas Kirton c Rabada b Ngidi 4 (3b 1x4)

Dilpreet Bajwa and Yuvraj Samra out in the middle for Canada. Ngidi is at the top of his mark with a slip in place.

What a start! A crackerjack delivery in the channel lures Bajwa into a shot. He checks out off the last second but the ball brushes the outside edge on its way to the keeper. A golden duck for the Canada captain as Navneet Dhaliwal walks in at 3. A touch of width and Dhaliwal creams the ball over point for FOUR. And Ngidi immediately drags the ball back in, zipping past the outside edge.

Dilpreet Bajwa c †de Kock b Ngidi 0 (1b)

CAN 4/1 in 1 over

Jaskaran sends a full-toss and Miller clobbers it over mid-wicket for SIX! Short and angling in and Miller swivel-pulls it over backward square for another SIX! Miller mistimes the third and the ball falls short of the long-on fielder. Three singles and a cracking SIX from Stubbs to finish. SA end up on 213 with 21 coming off the final over.

SA 213/4 in 20 overs

Jaskarandeep drops short and Stubbs swat-pulls it down the ground past long-off for FOUR. Kaboom! Overpitched outside off and Stubbs bludgeons it over cover for a sweet SIX!

SA 177/4 in 18 overs

Ansh Patel finishes up with clinical figures. His deliveries angles across the strip checked the Saffers batters tonight. Never made it easy for the batters to him through the line and he finishes up with figures of 4-0-31-3.

SA 158/3 in 16 overs

Ansh to Rickelton, OUT! The lack of boundaries and the angle work! Ansh tucks it in and Rickelton takes on the length with minimal room and sends it straight to the wide long-on fielder. The lack of big hits in the previous over may have played on his mind too as Canada find their third wicket. 'Killer' Miller is in at No. 5. He is off the mark with a single.

Ansh to Brevis, OUT! In the air and another one bites the dust. Ansh entices Brevis into a big shot with that angle, floating the ball up and across. Brevis miscues the slog and presents a simple catch to the mid-off fielder. Tristan Stubbs walks in and creams the first ball through extra cover for FOUR. Just completely oblivious to what's panned out in the last five deliveries!

Ryan Rickelton c Thaker b Patel 33 (21b 3×4 1×6); Dewald Brevis c Kirton b Patel 6 (6b 1x4)

SA 142/4 in 14 overs

Heyliger with a ripper!

Ansh sprays another delivery across the pitch, and Markram slogs it over long-on. Not quite, as Heyliger scampers across and holds onto a superb overhead catch to send the South Africa captain back. In comes the dangerous Dewald Brevis at 4. And he is off the blocks as Patel sends one short, helping Brevis heave it through wide long on for FOUR.

SA 132/2 in 12 overs

Aiden Markram c Heyliger b Patel 59 (32b 10x4 1x6)

South Africa find a release as Markram drills Bajwa down the ground for another FOUR. Miscued and Markram survives! Bajwa floats another ball outside, away from the batter's arc and Markram gets a leading edge off a wild swipe, falling just over the cover fielder. 100 comes up for South Africa in 59 deliveries. Bajwa slides one in and Markram brings up his half-century with a slog down to long-on. A misfield assists him with a FOUR that helps him through to his 4th T20 WC fifty.

SA 104/1 in 10 overs

Ansh Patel into the attack. A loose delivery down leg from the left-arm wrist spinner and Rickelton sweeps it fine from his presence for FOUR. A couple of neat deliveries cut across Markram's outside-edge as Patel corrects his trajectories. Ten from the over.

SA 82/1 in 8 overs

Jaskarandeep into the attack

Too easy for Markram. Jaskarandeep slides one in and Markram nonchalantly flicks the ball over long-on for SIX! Ominous signs for Canada with no movement or spin on offer on a glazing strip. South Africa can turn this into a monumental score today. Jaskarandeep follows up with a neat yorker, forcing Markram to dig it out from his feet. Fraction short but angling in and Markram unfurls another chip over the mid-on fielder for FOUR.

SA 66/0 in 6 overs

Saad bin Zafar into the attack, replacing Heyliger

de Kock on the walk! The left-arm spinner offers a hint of room and de Kock masterfully lofts him over extra cover for FOUR! He fires it into the block-hole and de Kock drills it past the bowler for another FOUR. Zafar comes over the wicket and rockets the ball into the blockhole as de Kock charges out from the crease. No chance whatsoever for a stumping there and South Africa continue to build on the momentum here. SA 44/0 in 4 overs

Dilon Heyliger from the opposite end

Loose half-tracker outside the off-stump and Markram smears it through cover for FOUR. Heyliger floats one in to the slot yet again and Markram crunches the ball through extra cover for another FOUR. A hat-trick of FOURs in the over as Heyliger tosses another full delivery outside off. That's simply a training session routine for Markram's calibre, extending his arms through the square.

Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock walk out for the Proteas. The young Dilpreet Bajwa leads his team out to the middle—a big day for this Canadian side.

South Africa XI: Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

Canada XI: Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa(c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva(w), Harsh Thaker, Saad Bin Zafar, Jaskaran Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel

Toss coming up. Aiden Markram and Dilpreet Bajwa are walking out to the middle for the coin flip.

The Proteas pace quarter is among the finest there is at this World Cup. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen conjure up speeds and awkward lengths. Lungi Ngidi brings a bag of tricks to the seam deck. However, concerns will persist over their fastest arm, Anrich Nortje, who had a few pale outings recently. Nortje remains as South Africa's most successful wicket-taker in World Cups, with 34 scalps. Who knows, the big stage might just unleash his best version yet again.

The Narendra Modi Stadium has been a venue for high scores in T20Is with each of the last three games here seeing 200-plus totals. The average first-innings score in T20Is at the ground is 189 and it has shot up to 230 in the last four games!

Earlier today, Scotland became the first team to register a 200-plus score in the tournament. They also became the first Associate Nation to record a 200-plus score in T20 World Cup history. Read more to know about the highest T20 scores in World Cup history

SA predicted XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (capt), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

While one wouldn't want to discount the presence of UAE and Canada, Group D has been tagged early as the group of death this World Cup with three heavyweights in South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan lined up in the pool. The opening game in the group between NZ and AFG nearly showed us why when the Kiwis nearly lost the plot against Rashid Khan's men. Afghanistan had succeeded in beating New Zealand two years ago before famously rampaging their way through to the semi-finals.

There is a Yuvi in the making in the Canada side. His dad adored India's first T20I superstar, Yuvraj Singh, back in the day and decided to name his son after him. Yuvraj Samra enters the T20 World Cup on the back of an impressive profile for Canada.

Despite being the youngest member of Canada’s 15-man squad at just 19, Samra has quickly become an indispensable asset. His aggressive approach is backed by some serious numbers: he has already cleared the ropes 27 times in 16 T20Is and maintains a formidable career strike rate of 160.72.

While Canada dropped both of their recent warm-up matches, Samra’s 33 off 23 balls against Italy provided a tinge of his ball-striking ability.

If the 48 hours have been anything to go by, one cannot rule out upsets at any cost in any contest over the next 12 days of group-stage action. There is ample evidence by now to take the unknown quite lightly in this tournament. We have some heavyweights to concur. Pakistan nearly blew up a 148-run chase in the opening contest against the Netherlands. On the same evening, India's belligerent batting group lost the plot against the USA, only to be saved by their stoic captain. On Sunday, England huffed and puffed at the Wankhede as they braved off an epic fight from Nepal, only eking out a four-run victory.