Markram, Ngidi Lead South Africa to Comfortable Win Over Canada

South Africa began their T20 World Cup campaign with a convincing 57-run victory over Canada at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, easing past their opponents in the first-ever meeting between the two sides. Playing their first World Cup match since the disappointment of the 2024 final, South Africa were tested briefly but were never seriously threatened.

Batting first, South Africa posted a strong 213 for 4, built around a fluent 28-ball half-century from captain Aiden Markram, who top-scored with 59. David Miller provided the finishing touch with an unbeaten 39, ensuring South Africa crossed the 200-run mark despite a spirited spell of wristspin from Ansh Patel, who was the standout bowler for Canada with figures of 3 for 31.

Canada’s chase began on the back foot after Lungi Ngidi struck three times in the powerplay, effectively ending any realistic hopes of an upset. Ngidi went on to return impressive figures of 4 for 31, exploiting bounce and movement to keep the required rate out of reach throughout the innings.

Navneet Dhaliwal offered Canada some resistance with a fighting 64 from 49 balls, the highest individual score of the match. He featured in a brisk 69-run fifth-wicket partnership with Harsh Thaker, scoring at nearly eight runs an over, but the asking rate continued to climb steadily.

Despite moments of fight with both bat and ball, Canada were unable to sustain pressure for long enough. They eventually finished on 156 for 8, well short of the target, as South Africa completed a comfortable opening win and laid down an early marker in their World Cup campaign.