T20 World Cup: South Africa conclude perfect group stage with victory over UAE
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South Africa ensured their perfect start to the T20 World Cup continued as they strolled to a six-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates in their final Group D match.
Having already qualified for the Super 8s, the Proteas made four changes to their team, but it mattered little as they chased down their target of 123 with 40 balls remaining.
UAE were put into bat after losing the toss and they saw Muhammad Waseem (22) and Aryansh Sharma (13) fall in quick succession off Corbin Bosch and George Linde's bowling towards the end of the powerplay.
Alishan Sharafu attempted to get UAE going with his 38-ball 45, but the lower order failed to deliver as they scored just 20 runs from their last four overs to finish 122-6.
South Africa started strongly but lost Aiden Markram for 28 after he was bowled by Haider Ali (1-33), with Quinton de Kock (14) quickly following at the end of the sixth over.
However, a 49-run stand from Ryan Rickelton (30) and Dewald Brevis (36) put South Africa on the brink of victory, with the former dismissed when the Proteas needed just 18 more to win.
It was Tristan Stubbs (6 not out) and Jason Smith (3no) who ultimately steered the beaten 2024 finalists home, with their first Super 8s fixture seeing them face hosts India in a blockbuster clash on Sunday.
MATCH RESULT #TheProteas cruise to a commanding 6-wicket win to close out the group stage of the #T20WorldCup.
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) February 18, 2026
A clean sweep of the group sets us up perfectly for the highly anticipated Super 8 phase of the competition! #Unbreakable pic.twitter.com/MQrKXBvblK
Data Debrief: Brilliant Bosch justifies selection
In what was the first men's T20I meeting between South Africa and the UAE, the Proteas cruised to victory and head into the Super 8s with momentum, being one of only four teams, along with India, West Indies and Sri Lanka, who are yet to be beaten at the tournament.
South Africa have also won four of their last five T20Is when batting second (L1), having lost five such games in succession prior to that, and their victory was led by Bosch who ended the match with figures of 3-12.
Indeed, it was his second-best return in the shortest format since he managed 4-14 during a 55-run win over Pakistan in October 2025.
