Zimbabwe vs South Africa – Delhi, March 1, 2026

South Africa edged past Zimbabwe by five wickets in a close contest in the Super Eights stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup, chasing a 154-run target with 13 overs to spare. Sikandar Raza’s spectacular performance, though, was not enough to prevent the Proteas from securing a crucial Group 1 win.

Zimbabwe 153/7

Zimbabwe began well, reaching 45/2 by the powerplay stage of the match. They never managed to accelerate due to the early fall of wickets, though, with Sikandar Raza the only silver lining.

Two DRS interventions played a crucial part in the match:
- At 9.2 overs, a DRS review by the Proteas resulted in the dismissal of Raza’s partner.
- At 10.2 overs, a DRS review by Zimbabwe to overturn the dismissal of Ryan Burl was unsuccessful.

Sikandar Raza, though, took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring a stylish fifty in only 29 deliveries, featuring five fours and three sixes. By the 14th over, Zimbabwe were at 102/5, with Raza contributing 56.

Finally, Raza scored 73 off 43, helping Zimbabwe reach 153/7 in the 20 overs, with Clive Madande’s 26 contributing to the total on a surface with uneven bounce.

South Africa’s chase: a tense start
South Africa’s reply got off to a shaky start as they reached 43/3 in the Powerplay after the Zimbabwe bowlers started well.

A quick 50-run partnership in the fourth wicket between Dewald Brevis and David Miller changed the pace. The duo accumulated 50 runs in 23 balls, taking the total to 100 in 10.2 overs.

While losing wickets at crucial junctures, such as a Zimbabwe review at 13.3 overs, the Proteas were still in the driver’s seat at 126/5 in 14 overs, still requiring less than 30 runs.

A composed partnership in the sixth wicket between Tristan Stubbs and George Linde ensured that the chase was completed without any major hiccups as they accumulated 50 runs in 42 balls.

South Africa reached 154/5 in 17.5 overs to win the chase in a five-wicket victory, requiring 13 balls to achieve the target.

Player of the Match
Sikandar Raza, though on the losing end, walked away with the Player of the Match award for his all-round brilliance:
- 73 off 43 balls
- 3/29