South Africa, Zimbabwe & Scotland won their respective matches in the T20I World cup . The Proteas withstood Canadian challenge to win by 57 runs . Zimbabwe thrashed Oman to win by 8 wickets & Scotland outplayed debutant Italy to win by 73 runs at Eden Gardens .
Below are how the matches panned out
South Africa cruise past Canada
South Africa produced a commanding all-round performance to register a comprehensive 57-run victory over Canada in their Group D opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Put in to bat first, the Proteas were powered by a scintillating half-century from captain Aiden Markram, whose fluent 59 off just 32 balls set the tone for a formidable total of 213 for 4. Markram played with authority and elegance, finding the boundary at will, while Quinton de Kock provided stability at the other end as South Africa raced to 65 in the powerplay.
After de Kock’s dismissal, Markram continued his aggressive display and brought up his 12th T20I fifty in just 28 deliveries before falling in the 12th over. Brief strikes by Ansh Patel gave Canada some hope, as Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis were removed in quick succession. However, late fireworks from David Miller (39* off 23) and Tristan Stubbs (34* off 19) ensured South Africa finished with a flourish, smashing 75 runs in the final 37 balls to post the highest total of the tournament so far.
In reply, Canada’s chase unravelled early under relentless South African pace. Lungi Ngidi struck with the very first ball, dismissing captain Dilpreet Bajwa, and went on to produce a destructive spell of 4 for 31. Kagiso Rabada added to the pressure by removing Shreyas Movva, leaving Canada struggling at 45 for 4 at the end of the powerplay.
A spirited partnership between Navneet Dhaliwal and Harsh Thaker briefly revived Canadian hopes, but Ngidi returned to break the stand and effectively sealed the contest. Dhaliwal fought valiantly with a well-made 64, yet Canada never seriously threatened the towering target and eventually limped to 156 for 8.
The emphatic win underlined South Africa’s title credentials, as the Proteas showcased their depth, power and precision in a near-perfect start to their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.
Scotland outplayed Italy to get their first win
No one had anticipated such a one-sided contest. Especially after Scotland had lost to Italy in the qualifiers, it was hard to imagine that they would dominate them so comprehensively in the World Cup. But that is exactly what unfolded at Eden Gardens. Batting first, Scotland posted a formidable 207 for 4 in their 20 overs. In reply, Italy were bundled out for just 134, handing Scotland a massive 73-run victory.
Ironically, Scotland’s defeat to Italy in the qualifiers had almost ended their World Cup hopes. However, after Bangladesh were ruled out of the tournament, Scotland received a last-minute opportunity. Although they lost their opening match against West Indies, they made sure to avenge their earlier defeat to Italy on the grand stage.
Italy suffered a major setback early in Scotland’s innings. While attempting to save a boundary at mid-off, captain Wayne Madsen dived and injured his shoulder. He was seen in visible pain as the physio attended to him on the field, and eventually he walked off with his left arm in a sling. Commentators later confirmed that Madsen had dislocated his shoulder, ruling him out for the rest of the match. He did not come out to bat in the second innings, and his availability for Italy’s next game remained uncertain.
Without their captain, Italy looked disorganised, particularly in the field. They struggled to break Scotland’s opening partnership. George Munsey played a brilliant knock, scoring 84 off 54 balls, narrowly missing out on a century. Michael Jones supported him well with 37 off 30 balls. At number three, Brandon McMullen provided further impetus with a blistering 41 off just 18 deliveries.
At one stage, it seemed Scotland would cruise past 200 with ease. A few late wickets slowed the momentum, but a powerful finish in the final over saw Michael Leask smash 22 runs off five balls from Thomas Draca, taking Scotland to 207.
In reply, Italy opened with brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca. Justin was dismissed by Leask off the very first ball, while Anthony managed only 13. With Madsen absent, much of Italy’s hopes rested on JJ Smuts, who made a brisk start but fell for 22 off 11 balls.
Brothers Harry and Ben Manenti then tried to mount a fightback. As long as they were at the crease, Italy still had some hope. Harry scored 37 off 25 balls, while Ben played the best innings of the Italian side with 52 off 31 balls. However, once Ben was dismissed, Italy’s batting collapsed like a house of cards. The entire team was bowled out for 134 in 16.4 overs, sealing a dominant 73-run win for Scotland.
Michael Leask capped off an outstanding all-round performance by shining with the ball as well, claiming four wickets for just 17 runs in his four overs.
Zimbabwean quicks power team to a big win over Oman
Zimbabwe produced a dominant all-round performance to cruise past Oman by eight wickets in their T20 World Cup Group B encounter on Monday.
Chasing a modest target of 104, opener Brian Bennett played a classy unbeaten innings of 48 off 36 balls, striking seven boundaries to guide Zimbabwe home with ease. He was well supported by Brendan Taylor, who made 31 before retiring hurt, and Tadiwanashe Marumani, who added a handy 21. Zimbabwe reached 106 for 2 in just 13.3 overs, finishing the chase with 39 deliveries to spare.
Earlier, Zimbabwe’s pace attack dismantled Oman’s batting lineup. Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans were the chief destroyers, picking up three wickets each as Oman batters who had a tough time to negotiate the pace & bounce of the tall Zimbabwe quicks , were bowled out for 103 in 19.5 overs. Ngarava returned figures of 3 for 17, Muzarabani claimed 3 for 16, and Evans took 3 for 18, keeping constant pressure on the opposition.
Oman never really found momentum after being asked to bat first. Vinayak Shukla was their top scorer with 28, while Sufyan Mehmood contributed 25 and Nadeem Khan added 20. Sikandar Raza chipped in with the final wicket to complete a comprehensive bowling display by Zimbabwe.
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