SA vs CAN | Markram and Ngidi shine as Proteas thump Canada by 57 runs in T20 World Cup opener

Venkateswaran N

ByVenkateswaran N,SportsCafe Editor

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South Africa beat Canada by 57 runs in their Group D opener in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in Ahmedabad on Monday. Skipper Aiden Markram led from the front with a blistering half-century to power the Proteas to 213/4 before Lungi Ngidi shone with the ball with a four-wicket haul to restrict Canada.

Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi
‌South Africa began their quest for a maiden T20 World Cup with a 57-run win over Canada in their Group D opener in the current edition in Ahmedabad on Monday. Captain Aiden Markram’s classy fifty lifted the Proteas to a dominant 213/4 before Lungi Ngidi broke the back of the Canada batting lineup with a four-wicket haul.

After being put in to bat at the Narendra Modi Stadium, skipper Aiden Markram got the Proteas to a blazing start with three exquisitely driven boundaries of Dilon Heyliger in the second over. His partner Quinton de Kock looked shaky, though he welcomed left-arm spinner Saad Bin Safar with back-to-back fours in the fourth over. The batting side ended the powerplay at a dominant 66/0 after Markram took down Jaskaran Singh with a six and a four down the ground. Meanwhile, De Kock’s uncharacteristic stay was ended by Canada skipper Dilpreet Bajwa after the fields spread. However, the Lucknow Super Giants opener continued in the same vein, bringing up his half-century with a boundary in the 10th over as the team score also went past 100. Just as his association with Ryan Rickelton (33) looked to hit top gear, the skipper had to walk back after an excellent piece of fielding from Heyliger at the long-on fence. He hit 10 fours and a six during his 32-ball 59 before his dismissal triggered a collapse, putting the team down to 138/4 from 126/1. Left-arm wrist spinner Ansh Patel was the central feature in Canada’s mini-comeback with the wickets of Markram, Rickelton, and Dewald Brevis, the latter two coming in the same over. However, Tristan Stubbs and David Miller, after spending a quiet period in consolidation, cut loose in the last three overs to take the Proteas past the 200-run mark. The duo added 75 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket, including 47 runs in the last three, to set a formidable target of 214 for Canada. Miller hit three sixes and a four during his 23-ball 39, while Stubbs made 34 off 19, including two sixes and two fours, as Ansh impressed with figures of 3/31 in four overs.

The Canadian chase started awfully, with skipper Dilpreet Bajwa getting out for a golden duck in the first ball from Lungi Ngidi after the restart. Though the Canadian batters caught the eye with some stunning shots, they did not do themselves any good, losing wickets in a heap. Ngidi dismissed Yuvraj Samra and Nicholas Kirton in his second over, while Kagiso Rabada cleaned up Shreyas Movva in his first to seal the game inside powerplay as the score read 50/4 after the six-over mark. However, Navneet Dhaliwal and Harsh Thaker displayed enormous grit and resilience to add 69 runs for the fifth wicket, while also taking the side past the 100-run mark. However, Ngidi returned to end Thaker’s stay in the middle, which extended for 29 balls and was worth 33 runs, while also picking up his fourth of the night. Meanwhile, Dhaliwal completed an impressive half-century, scoring seven fours and a six during his 49-ball 64, to delay the inevitable. However, he was dismissed in the final over of the game as the Canada innings ended at 156/8. Ngidi was surely the best Protean bowler on display with figures of 4/31 in four overs, while Marco Jansen chipped in with two wickets.

SA Won by 57 runs

Expensive over!

Captain innings

Young talent!

Absolutely fire!

🔥

Big target!

Yeah!

Jansen strike!

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