South Africa continue their bid to win their first ICC title by defeating the UAE by six wickets in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
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Published February 18, 2026
South Africa beat the United Arab Emirates by six wickets in New Delhi, chasing down the winning target of 123 with 40 balls remaining, to finish the group stage of cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup unbeaten.
South Africa opted to bat first on Wednesday, with veteran pace bowler Corbin Bosch taking 3-12 from his four overs and Henrich Nortje taking 2-28 to limit the UAE to 122-6.
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The South Africans raced to 123-4 in 13.2 overs, taking the last seven runs at singles after the fourth wicket fell.
Aiden Markram’s side’s next game will be a repeat of the 2024 final against India in the Super Eights opener in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
India clinched the trophy with victory in the final in Barbados and are the absolute favorites to repeat on home soil.
Rain showers delayed the start of South Africa’s counterattack, resulting in just one run over the net in the first half.
However, from that point on, the Proteas accelerated to victory, adding 13 runs from the second over and 18 runs from the third until Haider Ali scored skipper Aiden Markram for 28 off 11 balls. All but two of his runs came from boundaries.
Dewald Brevis led the way with 36 points, but just two more points would be enough to win, Ryan Rickelton also scored 30 points, and the 2024 runner-up team dominated the bowling.
UAE’s Alishan Sharaf led the scoring with 45 runs off 38 deliveries, but was caught by the outfield off Nortje’s bowling in the 18th over.
It was South Africa’s fourth consecutive win in the competition, including a double tie-break victory over 2024 semi-finalists Afghanistan, which required two super overs.
The South Africans rested David Miller, frontline spinner Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi before the Super 8 stage.
In matches later on Wednesday, Pakistan will take on Namibia in Colombo for a spot in the Super 8s, while co-hosts India will complete their Group A program by taking on the Netherlands in Ahmedabad.
