South Africa Start Campaign with Convincing Victory Over Canada

South Africa crushed Canada by 57 runs in the 9th match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After being invited to bat first, South Africa posted a massive total of 213/4 in 20 overs.

Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock gave South Africa a flying start and added 70 runs for the first wicket before Quinton de Kock departed for an individual score of 25 in the 7th over, dismissed by Dilpreet Bajwa. Markram then added another 56 runs with Ryan Rickelton before getting out in the 12th over. David Miller and Tristan Stubbs also played fierce knocks in the death overs and provided full entertainment to the crowd.

Ansh Patel (3/31 in 4 overs) remained the most successful bowler for Canada, while Dilpreet Bajwa also took a wicket.

When Canada came out to chase the target, they lost Dilpreet Bajwa on the first ball. Lungi Ngidi delivered more early blows to Canada. In the powerplay, Canada lost four wickets. Navneet Dhaliwal, the highest scorer for Canada, added 69 runs with Harsh Thaker, but their efforts were not enough to reach the winning mark.

In the end, South Africa restricted Canada to 156/8 in 20 overs. Marco Jansen took two important wickets, while Corbin Bosch and Kagiso Rabada took one wicket each. With this win, South Africa opened their account in the points tally.

Brief Scorecard

South Africa (SA) : 213/4 (20)

Aiden Markram 59(32), David Miller 39*(23), Tristan Stubbs 34*(19);

Ansh Patel 3/31(4), Dilpreet Bajwa 1/40(4)

Canada (CAN) : 156/8 (20)

Navneet Dhaliwal 64(49), Harsh Thaker 33(29), Yuvraj Samra 12(8);

Lungi Ngidi 4/31(4), Marco Jansen 2/30(4)

Player of the Match: Lungi Ngidi

South Africa started their campaign with a big win over Canada. It boosted their confidence. The way Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock attacked the Canada bowlers is a danger sign for bowlers from other teams. Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller looked in great touch. Their fiery knocks helped South Africa cross the 200-run mark. Net run rate also matters sometimes towards the end of the group stage.

On the other hand, Navneet Dhaliwal showed great commitment. Harsh Thaker also supported him well, but the early damage done by Lungi Ngidi made the situation worse for them. Hopefully, Canada will try to overcome their batting and bowling woes before the next match against the UAE on 13 February. South Africa have to play against Afghanistan tomorrow on 11 February at the same venue where they played against Canada. Be ready for more action. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!