South Africa pass Canada test with flying colours at T20 World Cup
South Africa's Lungi Ngidi (3R) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Canada's Yuvraj Samra during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between South Africa and Canada at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 9, 2026. Picture: Photo by SHAMMI MEHRA / AFP
Image: SHAMMI MEHRA / AFP
The Proteas did not put a foot wrong as they dispatched Canada convincingly in their opening match of the T20 World Cup, in Ahmedabad, on Monday.
Having posted the highest score (213/4) of the first round of fixtures at the event in India and Sri Lanka, South Africa romped to a 57-run win.
It means the Proteas have the best net run-rate of any side so far, as they top Group D ahead of New Zealand.
Of the Proteas batsmen that came to the wicket, only Dewald Brevis (6) missed out. Skipper Aiden Markram (59) and Quinton de Kock (25) laid an excellent platform by putting on 70 for the first wicket in just 6.5 overs.
Proteas Secure Victory Over Canada: Ngidi Leads Attack Despite Late Scare
From there, every Proteas player with the willow looked confident and in good nick save Brevis.
This all against a Canada side the Proteas knew little about.
The unknown factor was even bigger when the Proteas had to defend their total.
Yet Lungi Ngidi (4/31) showed why he was chosen to lead the attack with a wicket off the first ball of the Canada innings. That set the tone for the Proteas as they soon reduced Canada to 45/4 in the sixth over.
From there, the Proteas looked set for a big victory. Even though top-scorer of the match Navneet Dhaliwal struck a defiant 64 from 49 balls, Canada were never up with the required rate.
Marco Jansen also looked good with his 2/30 as he opened the bowling with Ngidi.
In fact, it was only Kagiso Rabada that took some stick with 1/40 in his four overs. Though he did not appear concerned at the end when he returned to the attack to close out the match and was carted to the boundary off successive balls of his final over, it was still a good display.
The only real stressful moment for the Proteas was when Ngidi landed awkwardly during his spell, and he took some time to get up after receiving treatment. He did not show any hint of a niggle or injury after that, which would come as a relief to Proteas management.
It will, however, be interesting to see if Ngidi plays in South Africa’s second match against Afghanistan on Wednesday after just one day of rest.