West Indies vs South Africa, T20 World Cup 2026: Markram, Rickleton propel SA to nine-wicket win over WI

Aiden Markram wins the player of the match award for his match-winning 82* of 46 balls.

Speaking at the presentation, Markram says: "We actually bowled pretty well, obviously the powerplay was a big thing for us, to get off nicely. The partnership with Quinny [set things up]. The second innings was good to bat on, it was slightly tacky early on and the guys bowled pretty well early on. I just try and get into rhythm as quickly as possible, small difference and trying to get a rhythm and flow and do what the team needs. Whether I'm captain or not, opening is a responsibility, I have a good relationship with Quinny and Rickelton at No. 3. We try to make sure the team gets off to a good start especially on wickets like this and hope to continue this."

A quiet over for South Africa (By which we men there were no boundaries or sixes in the over, even though it yielded eight runs.)

And South Africa need just 14 runs from the final five overs.

Ryan Rickelton 38 (22b 3x4 2x6) | Aiden Markram 77 (44b 6x4 4x6)

While West Indies are nearing this first loss of the tournament, there are some injury concerns for West Indies here. Romario Shepherd seems to be struggling in the deep with a knee. He's moving around gingerly. And there's news that Brandon King who had dived hard on the ground to catch Aiden Markam earlier in the innings is being treated for a shoulder injury and will not be coming back on.

This will be bad news for West Indies, who will face India on Sunday in their final game of the Super 8 with a spot in the semis on the line.

Meanwhile, West Indies are 136/1 after 13 overs. They need just 41 runs from 42 balls

Right after having hit Chase for 11 runs in his first over, De Kock departs after being caught in the deep while trying to floor the accelerator.

A breakthrough at last for West Indies as Quinton De Kock departs for 47

SA lose 1st wicket with 95 runs on board. South Africa need 82 runs to win from 72 balls

Markram is teeing off here! 43 runs off just 20 balls with six boundaries and two maximums.

South Africa are 53/0 after 5 overs. They need just 124 runs from 90 balls.

Aiden Markram has decided to floor the accelerator! After that 10-run blitz in the final two balls of the second over, he smacks the ball past the bowler for another four. And then on the fifth ball, he almost hands a catch to Brandon King at cover. And the fielder dives full length to try and grab that, but it's a difficult one.

After 3 overs, SA are 31/0

De Kock and Aiden Markram are out as they start South Africa's chase of 177 runs. Forde handed the ball. And Markram starts us off with a smooth and swashbuckling drive to the ropes. That's the sort of shot on the first ball that raises the hopes of the entire team. And then, De Kock also gets in on the act with a boundary of his own, this time with a edge that flew wide of the person in the slip.

11 runs in the first over for SA.

Lungi Ngidi has an insane 19th over! Just five runs coming off it after a 23-run 18th over!

Three dot balls to start with pace off deliveries from Ngidi to frustrate Shephard. And then on the 4th ball, gets an edge that flies to the ropes.

We have a world record partnership between Holder and Shephard for the 8th in T20 cricket. 85 runs from 54 balls already with one final over left.

Final over coming up.

Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder have managed to stitch together a 50-run partnership here to salvage some hope for West Indies after they had slumped to 83/7. They have spent the past few overs scoring off the bad balls while also keeping their wickets intact.

Romario Shepherd 41 (28b 1x4 4x6) | Jason Holder 25 (22b 2x4 1x6)

After 17 overs, West Indies are 140/7

Keshav Maharaj almost picks up his first wicket of the day when Jason Holder chops the ball and the point fielder dives full length, but the ball flies just outside the reach of his hands.

After 13 overs, West Indies are 97/7

Jason Holder (18 from 17 balls) and Romario Shephard (6 off 9) are in the middle.

West Indies may have lost six wickets but Matthew Forde is not in the mood to play risk-free cricket. He slaps a four first off the bowling of Jansen and then tonks him for a six. Then Jansen and Forde exchange words as things get testy in the middle.

West Indies have a run rate of 8.20. But the wickets are a problem

West Indies are 82 runs after 10 overs. 76 per cent of their runs have come in boundaries.

Right after he smashed Corbin Bosch for a six on deep square leg, Sherfane Rutherford top edges the next ball to get dismissed for 12. Bosch is the third bowler to pick up a wicket in his first over!

WI lose their 5th wicket with just 60 runs on board.

Sherfane Rutherford c †de Kock b Bosch 12 (10b 0x4 1x6) SR: 120

Another dropped catch! This time it's Lungi Ngidi who drops it at short third. The ball was a short one, which Rutherford tried to guide to the ropes. Ngidi rose, got both hands on the ball, but was not able to hang on.

The West Indies manage to get past the powerplay without any further mishaps!

After 6 overs, West Indies are 52/4

GONE! West Indies lose their third wicket! Brandon King nicks one to the keeper! it's Ngidi who gets the breakthrough on the fourth ball of his first over after being brought in.

It's the second bowling change of the afternoon for South Africa in the fourth over. Ngidi was hit for consecutive fours on the second and third ball after being handed the ball. But on the fourth ball, he gets Brandon King to nick the ball to the keeper.

West Indies are 41/3 after 3.4 overs

West Indies lose their first wicket after two overs of runs flowing freely! Kagiso Rabada, brought in to replace Keshav Maharaj, has an instant impact! He sends back Shai Hope for 16.

Shai Hope c †de Kock b Rabada 16 (6b 1x4 2x6) SR: 266.66

WI 29/1 after 2.2 overs

National anthems done! And we have Brandon King, who is in desperate need for runs, and captain Shai Hope coming out. And South Africa reveal their first card of the afternoon: Keshav Maharaj will be bowling the first over here!

And it takes just two balls before Shai Hope decides to go after the bowler!

A six over the long on boundary on the third ball and then a shot over the offside field to the covers for a four. On the final ball, there is a chance for South Africa as Hope's shot is caught by Brevis but he falls over the ropes for a six!

After one over, West Indies are 17/0

Former West Indies leg spinner, Samuel Badree, who was on the ground at Ahmedabad mentioned in his pitch report that it is quite hot out there. The weather app shows that the temperature will remain around the mid 30s, in a game where the heat and intensity will be at its peak. Badree adds that when the ball comes from the North End, the square boundaries are 60 and 70 meters, while the straight hit is 72 meters.

Meanwhile, Proteas legend Shaun Pollock says that it is a red-soil pitch, so we can expect steeper bounce and a bit of turn as well. Pollock points out that about 53 percent of wickets for the pacers have come in slower balls and he expects that trend to continue here.

Form guide (last five completed T20Is, most recent first) ahead of today's WI vs SA clash:

West Indies WWWWW

South Africa WWWWW

A battle between the last two unbeaten teams in the T20 World Cup. One team's record will end today.

South Africans have beaten West Indies in four out of the five games they have played in the T20 World Cup so far. So the team from Africa is certainly the favourite today.

Can they keep that proud record intact?

With a semi-final spot essentially on the line, the South African camp is focusing on the "one-percenters." Spinner Keshav Maharaj believes the result will come down to clarity under pressure and simple execution. In a battle between two unbeaten sides, the Proteas are looking to control the small details to secure their place in the final four.

The Proteas aren't taking the Caribbean firepower lightly. Citing the West Indies’ dominant 107-run win over Zimbabwe, Maharaj flagged their "explosive" batting lineup as the primary threat. Having shared IPL and franchise dugouts with many of these players, the Proteas are wary of the form the Windies' hitters are currently carrying into this Super 8 battle.

The West Indies are not getting carried away by their previous win over Zimbabwe where they smashed 254/6, which was their highest total in a Men's T20 World Cup.

"When you get 250 plus on the board in a T20 game, then you must be happy as a batting unit," Shai Hope told media post-game.

"And then with the ball being as clinical as we did in that, especially in the middle phase and Powerplay ... I would call it more of a complete game for us but if you want to be picky there's always areas that you can improve.

"There's always ways and areas that you can find to improve."

South Africa's Keshav Maharaj has said that the team is not getting "carried away" after their heady win over India in the Super 8 clash.

“There was a real energy and buzz in the camp after beating probably the best side in the competition,” Maharaj said during the pre-match press conference. However, he was quick to underline that the team is not allowing the win to cloud their focus. “But we’re not getting carried away. There’s still a lot of cricket to be played. It’s about dusting ourselves off, doing things better and focusing on the positives.”

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the West Indies vs South Africa game from the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad where two of the last unbeaten teams in the T20 World Cup will face off.