South African players Tristan Stubbs and George Linde walk off the field, after winning the T20 World Cup cricket match between South Africa and Zimbabwe, with Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza wearing the cap, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: “Although there are bruises, we will look to win and earn respect,” said Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza ahead of facing India in the T20 Super Eight World Cup. But then they were beaten for 256 runs, just days after being bowled out for 254 runs by the West Indies.
Despite having taken 510 runs in two matches, on the eve of the match against South Africa, Zimbabwe bowling consultant Courtney Walsh stressed that their achievements – wins over Sri Lanka and Australia in the group stage – could not be ignored.
“We wanted to make a statement here and I think the performance showed itself,” he said.A day later, Zimbabwe restored their pride and respect by fielding the Proteas at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, which was attended by nearly 20,000 spectators on a hot Sunday afternoon.
With a 5-0 win, South Africa maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament. The team will now approach the semi-final match against New Zealand, which will be held at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on March 4, after recording seven consecutive victories.
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Raza, appropriately, led Zimbabwe’s efforts to pull off another upset in the competition. He scored 73 off 43 balls, loaded with eight fours and four sixes, to take the team to 153/7, before scoring 3/29 from four overs, including the first strike to dismiss Quinton de Kock and adding to South Africa’s woes with the wickets of Aiden Markram and Dewald Preves.
Although South Africa lost four wickets in their first 10 overs, they remained ahead of the scoring curve, producing 93 runs at the halfway mark. And with Brevis falling soon after, Zimbabwe may have had reason to believe. Was there another upset in the near future? Was Zimbabwe on the cusp of beating its ‘big brother’?These faint hopes were dashed by Tristan Stubbs (unbeaten 21 from 24) and
George Lind
(unbeaten 30 off 21 balls), and stitched an unbroken stand of 53 runs off 43 balls.Earlier, Raza’s brilliant delivery of the ball stood out in an otherwise ordinary batting display for Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe captain Raza hit 73 off 43 balls while the other batsmen struggled to find the same flow against quality pace.The batsmen, apart from Raza, tried to attack the likes of Kwena Mafaka, Anrich Nortje and the in-form Lungi Ngidi but were unsuccessful.Summary scores:Zimbabwe: 153/7 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 73; Kwena Mafaka 2/21).South Africa: 154/5 in 17.5 overs (Ryan Rickleton 31 Dewald Previs 42 George Linde ; Iskandar Reda 3/29)