Along with many zimbabwe national cricket team vs south africa national cricket team match scorecards, perhaps no African rivalry has generated this level of competitiveness as evident by the tight finishes we have seen in the contests down the decades. The latest chapter of this story was penned on March 1, 2026 when the two teams clashed in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights – a nail-biting encounter that went right down to the last over.
Match Overview: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 – Super Eights, Group 1
During that time the match had been played out on March 1, 2026 as a day/night contest at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Sikandar Raza, the Zimbabwe captain, won the toss and decided to bat first.
| Detail | Information |
| Tournament | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 |
| Stage | Super Eights, Group 1 – 51st Match |
| Date | March 1, 2026 |
| Venue | Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi |
| Toss | Zimbabwe won, elected to bat |
| Result | South Africa won by 5 wickets (13 balls remaining) |
| Player of the Match | Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) |
| Match Format | T20 International |
| T20I Number | 3749 |
For every cricket fanatic who is tracking the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard, this was an emotional contest to view given Zimbabwe captain’s brilliant individual performance in a losing cause.
Zimbabwe Innings Scorecard (153/7 in 20 Overs)
Choosing to bat first Zimbabwe came out all guns blazing and put on 13 runs in the opening over. But South Africa rocked the visitors early on by sending both openers back within the first five overs to leave them 28 for 2.
Sikandar Raza fought a lone battle for Zimbabwe up the order, scoring 45 off 67 but wickets kept tumbling in regular intervals as the visitors stumbled to a precarious position of 28 for 2. Raza finished up with 73 off 43 balls in a knock including four sixes and eight fours.
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Brian Bennett | Out (early) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk) | Out | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dion Myers | Out (caught) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Burl | Out | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sikandar Raza (c) | Out | 73 | 43 | 8 | 4 | 169.8 |
| Tony Munyonga | Out | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clive Madande | Not Out | 26 | 20 | — | — | — |
| Brad Evans | Out | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wellington Masakadza | Not Out | — | — | — | — | — |
| Extras | — | |||||
| Total | 7 wickets, 20 overs | 153 |
Raza put on a third-wicket stand of 38 with Dion Myers, and a third wicket partnership of 39 with Clive Madande to give the innings some solidity. Alernating all set, Madande (26 not out from 13) took Zimbabwe to 153/7 a lone in such numerous overs.
Zimbabwe Bowling (South Africa’s perspective):
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Sikandar Raza | 4 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 7.25 |
| Brad Evans | 3 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 7.33 |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 4 | 0 | — | 1 | — |
| Wellington Masakadza | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Graeme Cremer | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Ryan Burl | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
South Africa Chase Scorecard (154/5 in 17.5 Overs)
First innings South Africa national cricket team vs zimbabwe national cricket. When South Africa started chasing, there were early dramas. Raza sent back Quinton de Kock with the third ball of South Africa’s chase as he edged to slip first ball for duck. In the very next over, he bowled skipper Aiden Markram for four as well.
Brad Evans bowled a bouncer which hit Ryan Rickelton on the helmet and caused him to take five minutes of treatment. He took Evans for back to back sixes before the bowler had him caught for 31.
Faf du Plessis 76 (38) – Dewald Brevis 42(18)www.powerplaycricket.com However, he added 50 with David Miller (22) before Zimbabwe struck again twice in quick succession. But Blessing Muzarabani got rid of Miller and Raza had Brevis caught.
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Aiden Markram (c) | b Raza | 4 | — | — | — | — |
| Quinton de Kock (wk) | c behind b Raza | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Ryan Rickelton | c Evans | 31 | 22 | — | 2 | — |
| Dewald Brevis | c Burl b Raza | 42 | 18 | — | — | 233.3 |
| David Miller | b Muzarabani | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| Tristan Stubbs | Not Out | 21 | — | — | — | — |
| George Linde | Not Out | 30 | — | — | — | — |
| Extras | 3 | |||||
| Total | 5 wickets, 17.5 overs | 154 |
Fall of Wickets (South Africa): 1–1 (Quinton de Kock, 0.3 ov), 2–14 (Aiden Markram, 2.5 ov), 3–43 (Ryan Rickelton, 5.5 ov), 4–93 (David Miller, 9.6 ov), 5–101 (Dewald Brevis, 10.4 ov).
Tristan Stubbs (21) and George Linde (30) then put on an unbeaten 53 to steer South Africa to the target.
South Africa Bowling:
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Kwena Maphaka | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 5.25 |
| Corbin Bosch | 4 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 10.00 |
| Anrich Nortje | 4 | 0 | — | — | — |
| George Linde | 4 | 0 | — | 1 | — |
| Lungi Ngidi | 4 | 0 | — | — | — |
South Africa made the call to rotate their team as well, introducing Anrich Nortje and Kwena Maphaka for Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen — and both strike bowlers struck in their first overs.
Playing XIs
Zimbabwe XI: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (capt), Tony Munyonga, Clive Madande, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani.
South Africa XI: Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Kwena Maphaka, Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
Match Result and Context
South Africa continued their unbeaten streak in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a clinical 5-wicket win over Zimbabwe. This was the result of Zimbabwe national cricket team vs South Africa national cricket team, a definitive scorecard for the tournament cycle ensuring passage to the semi-finals.
This World Cup cycle, South Africa’s record entering the knockout stages was South Africa 2, Zimbabwe 0. It was an “exciting” win, according to Proteas captain Aiden Markram and they head for a semi-final in Kolkata against New Zealand.
Player of the Match: Sikandar Raza (73 off 43; 3 for 29) – While India won, Raza was a man in form as he came into this match and produced an all-round case making him Player of the Match.
Head-to-Head Record: Zimbabwe vs South Africa
For that reason, history of any zimbabwe national cricket team vs south africa national cricket team match scorecard is never complete without statistics. South Africa leads the rivalry overall, having won over 80% of matches it has played against Zimbabwe across all formats.
| Format | Total Matches | SA Wins | ZIM Wins | No Result |
| ODIs | 41 | 38 | 2 | 1 |
| Tests | Multiple | SA dominate | Rare | — |
| T20Is | Multiple | SA dominate | Rare | 1 |
When playing at home, at venues like Harare Sports Club and Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe have a win percentage that is vastly better. It is no coincidence that Zimbabwe’s richest vein against South Africa came when Andy Flower was at the peak of his powers and fast bowler Heath Streak took wickets that mattered C like the ones he did against the Proteas
This was widely regarded as one of the high moments in Zimbabwean cricket history which took place at Lords in 2001. Zimbabwe’s nine-wicket Test victory over South Africa at Harare Sports Club in October 1994 also ranks among the all-time great results of the fixture.
South Africa’s Tour of Zimbabwe, 2025 (Test Series)
This rivalry had another important chapter before the T20 World Cup. In June and July 2025, South Africa toured Zimbabwe for a two-match Test series which the Proteas won 2–0. Sean Williams was the top scorer (257) for Zimbabwe and Tanaka Chivanga had most wickets (8); Wiaan Mulder named Player of the Series
FAQs
Q1. What was the result of the Zimbabwe vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2026 match?
South Africa MG Bairstow 42 (19) beat Zimbabwe by 5 wickets, 13 balls remaining – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi – March 1, 2026 Zimbabwe – 153/7 (20 Overs), South Africa – 154/2 (17.5 Overs). South Africa were already confirmed as unbeaten entrants into the semi-finals entering this zimbabwe national cricket team vs south africa national cricket team match scorecard.
Q2. Who was the Player of the Match in the Zimbabwe vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2026 match?
Sikandar Raza another player named as Player of the Match for his all-round showing – batting 73 runs in just 43 balls and taking three wickets with his off-spin bowling to conclude with figures of three for 29.
Q3. How many times have Zimbabwe beaten South Africa in ODIs?
South Africa has won 38 of the 41 ODI matches between the two sides while Zimbabwe won only 2 times, with a match no result.
Q4. Which venue hosted the Zimbabwe vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights match?
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, India; ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights
Q5. What was Zimbabwe’s highest individual score in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights match against South Africa?
Sikandar Raza was the top scorer for Zimbabwe with 73 off 43 balls including eight fours and four sixes. Roman Walker, who carried off these awards as the player of the match and player of the series: Zimbabwe couldn’t quite get up with a relatively inexperienced Chris Woakes and bowling heavy England could muster in 153/7 – much lower than par on this flat outfield.
Q6. Did South Africa qualify for the semi-finals after beating Zimbabwe?
Yes. South Africa qualified for the semi-finals after claiming their seventh consecutive victory at the T20 World Cup. Originally they had set to meeting New Zealand in the semi-final on Kolkata.
Conclusion
2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Zimbabwe national cricket team vs South Africa national cricket team match scorecard of the above-mentioned series is a fine example of why this rivalry is so fascinating. In Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe perhaps have the best cricketer they ever had but South Africa’s depth and pedigree told in the end. Whether you are looking for zimbabwe national cricket team vs south africa national cricket team live score updates, historical results, or statistics deep dive – this matchup always has competitive cricket between two proud African nations. South Africa’s head-to-head are nothing short of dominating, but Zimbabwe themselves have often put up a fight in the field and their clashes always make for irresistible viewing on the cricketing calendar.