Captain Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten 86 in a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
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Published February 14, 2026
Captain Aiden Markram’s blistering half-century led South Africa to a resounding seven-wicket victory over New Zealand, securing their third straight Group D win and putting them on the verge of advancing to the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup.
New Zealand suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday, winning 175 and losing seven, as South Africa’s Marco Jansen took four wickets.
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In response, opener Markram hit an unbeaten knockout of 86 off 44 balls with four sixes and eight boundaries, the highest ever by a South African captain in the tournament’s history, helping his team reach 178-3 with 17 balls remaining.
Last year’s finalists South Africa opted to bowl first in India’s Ahmedabad and it paid off immediately, with player of the match Jansen (4-40) dismissing most of New Zealand’s top order within seven overs.
After Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra were fell by Jansen, Finn Allen (31 off 17 balls) looked to reduce the damage. However, Jansen caught Allen midway through the sixth over and New Zealand struggled to 58-3.
Mark Chapman (48) and Darryl Mitchell (32) turned things around with a 74-run partnership for the fifth wicket until Jansen caught Chapman to Ryan Rickelton at point in the bottom of the 14th innings.
New Zealand could only score 17 runs in the next four overs until James Neesham reached the total with an unbeaten 23 off 15 balls.
Markram’s magic makes the deal with South Africa a success
Chasing 176, South Africa got off to a fast start with Markram hitting 36 on and five boundaries to take his team to 62-0 in four overs.
The loss of fellow opener Quinton de Kock, 20, did not affect Markram, who reached his half-century in just 19 balls with a six-down long-on to Mitchell Santner. By the time Rickelton, 21, fell in the eighth over, South Africa had already crossed the 100-run mark.
With the required run rate dropping below 6 per over, Markram did not reach a single boundary in the next seven overs and concentrated on rotating his strikes, bringing South Africa within 28 runs of victory with 30 balls remaining.
“I think it’s important to manage it at the right stage, but we’ve seen how teams approach the power play before and you’d be foolish not to try it. It doesn’t always work, but when it does… it can take the game in your favor,” Markram said.
David Miller, who scored an unbeaten 24 points, scored the winning point with a clearance through the midwicket boundary.
South Africa conclude their group stage match against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, a day after New Zealand and Canada.
