T20 WC: Brevis Hits 42 As South Africa Continue Unbeaten Run With Five-Wicket Win Over Zimbabwe
New Delhi: Dewald Brevis top-scored with 42 as South Africa overcame a stunning spell from Sikandar Raza to beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in their 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eights clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing 154, South Africa were rocked early by Raza, who removed Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram inside the first three overs. Ryan Rickelton briefly countered with three sixes before falling to leave the Proteas in trouble at 43/3.
Brevis then took charge, smashing two fours and four sixes in his 18-ball 42 to tilt the chase back in South Africa’s favour. David Miller joined in with a flurry of boundaries, but Zimbabwe kept striking back, as Blessing Muzarabani and Raza removed the duo to keep the contest alive.
Raza finished with figures of 3-29, adding to his superb 73 with the bat, but South Africa’s batting depth proved decisive. George Linde (30 not out) and Tristan Stubbs (21 not out) took the Proteas home with 13 balls to spare. The result means South Africa head into their semi-final against New Zealand in Kolkata as the only unbeaten side in the tournament.
South Africa’s chase began with a huge jolt when Quinton de Kock was undone by a slower ball from Raza which found grip, and had him chopping into the gloves of Tadiwanashe Marumani. Raza struck again in his second over when his carrom ball kept low and sneaked through Aiden Markram’s bat to castle him for just four.
Ryan Rickelton, though, launched a counter-attack by thumping Raza down the ground for six, before taking a blow to the helmet from Brad Evans. Rickelton then managed to clear the boundary ropes thrice for maximums, before going too early into the shot off Evans and Ryan Burl took a superb acrobatic catch at deep midwicket.
Brevis, who began with a backfoot punch off Raza for four, lit up the stadium with his two trademark no-look sixes off Graeme Cremer and driving amazingly on the up off Blessing Muzarabani for four. Miller joined the fun with back-to-back sixes and a four off Wellington Masakadza, before he and Brevis took a four and six off Muzarabani to bring up the fifty of the partnership in quick time.
Zimbabwe, though, kept clawing back – Muzarabani removed Miller, who steered straight to short third man. Raza, in his final over, produced another breakthrough by deceiving Brevis into miscuing a round-arm delivery high to long-on, where Burl completed a sharp catch, as the Castle Corner fans, seated in the east corner of the Gautam Gambhir stand, cheered voraciously with joy.
With 51 runs needed off 54 balls, George Linde clubbed Cremer for six, before he and Tristan Stubbs were content in rotating the strike to inch closer to the target, especially with no serious run rate pressure looming on them. Linde feasted on down leg deliveries from Brian Bennett and Ryan Burl to hit two boundaries through backward square leg, as he and Stubbs steered the Proteas home to continue their unbeaten run in the tournament.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 153/7 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 73, Clive Madande 26 not out; Kwena Maphaka 2-21, Corbin Bosch 2-40) lost to South Africa 154/5 in 17.5 overs (Dewald Brevis 42, Ryan Rickelton 31; Sikandar Raza 3-29, Brad Evans 1-22) by five wickets
(IANS)
