South Africa start campaign strong against Canada
South Africa opened their campaign with a commanding 57-run victory over Canada in Ahmedabad after posting 213 following a strong top-order display.
Sent in to bat, the Proteas raced to 66 without loss in the powerplay through Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock before Dilpreet Bajwa removed de Kock for 25 off 22. Markram continued fluently, reaching a 28-ball half-century and guiding South Africa to 104 for one at the halfway stage.
Ansh Patel dragged Canada back into contention by dismissing Markram for 59 off 32, Rickelton for 33 off 21 and Dewald Brevis in the same over. But David Miller and Tristan Stubbs restored control with an unbeaten 75-run partnership, lifting South Africa to 213. Miller finished on 39 off 23 while Stubbs added 34 off 19.
Lungi Ngidi struck with the first ball of the chase, removing Canada captain Bajwa, and soon added the wickets of Yuvraj Samra and Nicholas Kirton to leave Canada 26 for three. Kagiso Rabada then reduced them to 45 for four by dismissing Shreyas Movva.
Navneet Dhaliwal and Harsh Thaker steadied the innings with a fifty stand before Ngidi removed Thaker. Dhaliwal went on to a half-century and top-scored with 64 from 49 balls, but Marco Jansen’s double strike in the 18th over effectively ended the chase. Canada finished short despite a late boundary from Kaleem Sana.
Emphatic win for Zimbabwe over Oman
Zimbabwe also made an emphatic start, beating Oman after a devastating powerplay burst. Blessing Muzarabani claimed early wickets to remove Jatinder Singh, Aamir Kaleem and Karan Sonavale, while Richard Ngarava dismissed Hammad Mirza to leave Oman 24 for four. Oman were eventually restricted to 103, with Muzarabani and Ngarava both taking three wickets.
Zimbabwe’s reply was anchored by a 68-run stand between Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor, who scored 31 before retiring hurt. Bennett remained unbeaten on 48 as Zimbabwe secured victory comfortably.
Scotland too good for Italy
Scotland picked up their first points with a 73-run win over Italy in Kolkata. George Munsey and Michael Jones put on a record 126 for the opening wicket, with Munsey making 84. Scotland surpassed 200 for the first time at a men’s T20 World Cup thanks to a late burst from Michael Leask and a quick 41 not out from Brandon McMullen.
Italy threatened through a 63-run partnership between Harry and Ben Manenti, but once Ben fell after his half-century, Scotland’s bowlers wrapped up the innings. Leask finished with four for 17.
Pakistan avenge their 2024 embarrassment against USA
Pakistan made it two wins from two with a 32-run victory over the United States in Colombo. Sahibzada Farhan led the way with 73 off 41 as Pakistan posted 190 for nine. In reply, the USA mounted resistance through Shubham Ranjane’s half-century, but Usman Tariq’s double strike helped seal the win.
Black Caps stay on top against UAE
New Zealand continued their strong form with a 10-wicket win over the UAE in Chennai. UAE posted 173 for six, with Muhammad Waseem unbeaten on 66, but Tim Seifert and Finn Allen chased the target down in just 15.2 overs. Seifert finished on 89 not out and Allen on 84 not out in a record 175-run stand.
Netherlands star for win against Namibia
The Netherlands also secured their first win, beating Namibia by seven wickets. Bas de Leede starred with both bat and ball, taking two wickets before guiding the chase with an unbeaten 72 as the Dutch reached 159 for three in 18 overs.
