In the T20 World Cup 2026 opener, USA pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk tore through India’s lineup with 4/25, triggering a collapse. Despite his fiery spell, Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 84* guided India to 161/9.
The United States of America (USA) pacer Shadley Claude van Schalkwyk completely bamboozled India’s batters, proving out of the syllabus in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on February 7.
India and the USA have played their second-ever T20 World Cup encounter after the first face-off in the previous edition of the tournament. The visiting skipper, Monank Pate,l won the toss and decided to put Team India into batting. The Men in Blue posted a 161/9 in 20 overs, thanks to Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten captain's knock of 84 off 49 balls, including 10 fours and 4 sixes, at a strike rate of 171.43.
Shadley Claude van Schalkwyk led the USA bowling attack with figures of 4/25 at an economy rate of 6.20 in his spell of four overs. Ex-Mumbai cricketer Harmeet Singh picked two wickets and conceded 36 runs at an economy rate of 6.50 in four overs.
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Shadley van Schalkwyk Rattles India’s Batting
The USA were considered minnows against the defending champions, Team India, but the visitors’ bowlers, especially Shadley van Schalkwyk, showed exceptional skills and composure, troubling India’s top order and middle order with pace, bounce, and slower deliveries. India lost an early wicket in maurauding Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck in the opening over of the innings by Azhar Khan.
Thereafter, Ishan Kishan was joined by Tilak Varma, and the pair was looking to form a good partnership before Shadley van Schalkwyk ran into India’s batting line-up. In the second over of his spell and the sixth over of the USA’s bowling, van Schalkwyk picked three wickets of Ishan (20), Tilak (25), and Shivam Dube (0),
The USA pacer triple-wicket over reduced the hosts from 45/2 to 46/4, losing three wickets in just 1 run, sending shockwaves through the Indian batting line-up and putting the defending champions on the back foot early in the innings.
However, the Men in Blue were further reduced to 77/6 with dismissals of Rinku Singh (6) and Hardik Pandya (5) before Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel stitched a 31-run stand for the seventh wicket to take India past the 100-run mark until the all-rounder’s dismissal at 118/7. After Axar’s wicket, the pressure was on the skipper to take charge, and Suryakumar stood tall like a warrior by remaining under pressure, ensuring that Team India reached a competitive total on the board despite the collapse.
Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 84-run knock eventually pulled the team out of a shambolic situation inflicted by Shadley van Schalkwyk’s fiery spell, proving crucial in helping India post 161/9 in 20 overs and avoiding a historic upset by the USA in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener.
Who is Shadley van Schalkwyk?
Shadley van Schalkwyk is a South African cricketer but represents the USA in international cricket. Born in Cape Town, Shadley attended Wynberg Boys' High School, where Jacques Kallis, Allan Lamb, and David Bedingham are former alumni, inspiring him to pursue a professional cricketing career.
Shadley played the early years of cricket in South Africa and represented Western Province, Free State, and the Knights in domestic cricket. However, the South African pacer decided to leap by relocating to the United States to pursue international opportunities. After playing his domestic match for the Knights in the South African 4-day tournament, Shadley moved to relocating to the United States in 2021.
Shadley played in local leagues like Minor League Cricket with the Seattle Thunderbolts before being drafted by the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket (MLC). In 2024, the South African pacer was selected to the USA squad for the T20 World Cup. Since 2024, Shadley van Schalkwyk has been a regular member of the USA team in ODIs and T20Is.
In his international career for the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk has picked 36 wickets, including 3 four-wicket hauls, at an average of 27.41 and an economy rate of 7.07 in 28 matches.
