South Africa vs Canada | T20 World Cup Match Preview

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The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Group D game between South Africa and Canada will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 9. For both teams, this is an important game and an opportunity to start proceedings in the marquee tournament with key points in the group.

‌South Africa and Canada will play each other for the first time in an official international match. For the South African team, this will be a must-win contest in terms of tournament strategy. The team has a deeper roster, experience playing in major tournaments, and a strong line-up of fast bowlers.

Canada comes into the match on a good winning streak and with confidence in its batting unit, especially in the top order. However, the level of their recent opponents has been noticeably lower than that of South Africa.

The conditions at the stadium in Ahmedabad often allow for a lot of runs to be scored, so the key factor will be controlling the powerplay and playing well in the middle of the innings.

Form Guide

Over the past few weeks, South Africa has played a series of matches against India and the West Indies. The team had an unstable start to the series, often losing wickets in the middle overs and not always finishing the innings consistently. At the same time, the bowling attack regularly puts pressure on the opposition at the start of the innings.

Canada has won all of its last five matches. The team confidently controlled most of the games and successfully defended its totals. Their openers and top-order players consistently provided a good start, while spin bowling helped to contain the run-scoring of their opponents.

South Africa: L L W W L

Canada: W W W W W

South Africa vs Canada Head-to-Head

These teams have never met each other at the international level before. This match will be the first in the history of the teams' rivalry.

South Africa 0-0 Canada

Pitch and Weather

The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is usually even, with good bounce and considered favourable for batting.

The weather on the evening of February 9 is warm, rain-free, with moderate humidity. No rain delays are expected.

The captain who wins the toss will most likely choose to bowl first and take advantage of the more difficult conditions to bowl while chasing in the second innings.

Team News

South Africa enters the match with a strong and balanced lineup. Quinton de Kock is expected to open the innings again as opener and wicket-keeper. Aiden Markram will continue to captain the side and is expected to partner De Kock at the top. Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller will play a big role in the middle order, responsible for accelerating run-scoring in the middle and death overs.

Canada is betting on a stable top order. Navneet Dhaliwal and Yuvraj Samra are likely to open the innings, while captain Dilpreet Bajwa will control the game from the middle order. Nicholas Kirton and Harsh Thaker remain important players for building the innings, especially if the team loses early wickets.

South Africa (Probable XI): Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

Canada (Probable XI): Navneet Dhaliwal, Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Nicholas Kirton, Harsh Thaker, Kanwarpal Tathgur (wk), Jaskaran Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana

Broadcasting Platforms

The South Africa vs Canada ICC T20 World Cup match will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network from 7:00 PM IST in India on Monday. Meanwhile, live streaming of the game will be available on the Jio Hotstar app and website.

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