Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat against unbeaten South Africa in their final T20 WC 2026 Super 8s match. The Aiden Markram-led side eyes a semifinal spot, while eliminated Zimbabwe looks to end their campaign with a surprise win.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bat first against South Africa in both teams' last Super 8s match of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, at the Arun Jatley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday.
While South Africa arrive in the clash unbeaten in the tournament, Zimbabwe are yet to win a match in the Super 8s after their impressive run in the group-stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. Aiden Markram-led side will look to clinch another win and enter the semifinals with winning momentum on their side. Already-eliminated Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will look to cap their T20 WC 2026 off with a win against strong favourites South Africa.
Zimbabwe vs South Africa T230 WC 2026 Super 8s match playing 11s:
Zimbabwe: Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Clive Madande, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani.
South Africa: Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi.
Ahead of the clash against South Africa, Zimbabwe bowling consultant Courtney Walsh seconded captain Sikandar Raza's earlier remarks of wanting Zimbabwe to put "strong performances and earn respect."
Zimbabwe's T20 WC Journey
Notably, Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe had an impressive run in the group-stage of the T20 WC, where they defeated Oman by 8 wickets, Australia by 23 runs and Sri Lanka by 6 wickets and stayed unbeaten to enter the Super 8s. While they have not managed to win a game in the Super 8s, they will look to upset unbeaten South Africa's momentum ahead of the Proteas' semifinal clash.
So far, Zimbabwe's T20 WC 2026 campaign has been headlined by batter Brian Bennett and Blessing Muzarabani with the ball. Bennett has scored 277 runs in five matches so far, emerging as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. Muzarabani, on the other hand, has scalped 12 wickets in five matches at an exceptional average of 12. He is also second on the leading wicket-takers list in the T20 WC 2026.
'We want to put in strong performances and earn respect'
After facing their first Super 8s loss against West Indies, Sikandar Raza emphasised the team's determination, saying they aim to win every match, deliver strong performances, and earn respect despite the setbacks. "Despite the bruises from today, every time Zimbabwe walks out, we aim to win. We want to put in strong performances and earn respect." Raza had said.
At the pre-match press conference ahead of Zimbabwe vs South Africa, Courtney Walsh supported Sikandar Raza's comments, highlighting that Zimbabwe have earned respect through their World Cup performances and hopes to continue doing so. "I think what he has said is correct in terms of he wanted other countries to look at Zimbabwe with respect. And I think we have achieved that in terms of our performances in this World Cup. And long may that continue," Walsh said as quoted by the ICC website. (ANI)
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