New Delhi: South Africa, the finalists from the last edition, thrashed Canada by 57 runs in their opening game to get off the mark in style in the T20 World Cup 2026 on Monday. The Proteas rode on a brilliant half-century from skipper Aiden Markram and a sensational spell from pacer Lungi Ngidi to register a dominant victory against Canada at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Canada had little chance of salvaging the game after a combined batting effort propelled South Africa to a huge total of 213 runs, batting first. Navneet Dhaliwal slammed a gusty half-century to lead the charge for Canada, but his efforts were not enough to take his team home as they fell short by a huge margin in the end.
In pursuit of a huge 214-run target, Canada got off to a woeful start as they were reduced to 45/4 inside the Powerplay with Ngidi wreaking havoc. The South African pacer ran through Canada’s top order to reduce them to tatters in the run chase. Dhaliwal led the fightback for his side with his 64 off 49 balls.
He combined with Harsh Thaker (33) to share a 69-run stand for the fifth wicket, which eventually helped Canada play through the 20 overs. Ngidi finished with sublime figures of 4/31 and was well supported by Marco Jansen, who picked up two wickets as South Africa restricted Canada to 156/8 to secure a convincing victory in their opening game.