T20 World Cup: SA and NZ meet in top-of-table clash
What's the story
New Zealand will take on South Africa in a marquee Group D clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 14, 2026. Both teams have explosive batting line-ups and balanced bowling attacks, making it one of the most anticipated fixtures of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. Notably, both teams secured wins in their respective first two matches. Here we present the match preview.
Team performance
Performance of both teams in the tourney
Team South Africa is currently second in the Group D points table with two wins. In their last match against Afghanistan, South Africa posted a competitive total of 187/6 but had to settle for a historic double Super-Over victory. New Zealand are currently leading the Group D points table with two wins. Tim Seifert has been their star batter. In their last match against UAE, NZ chased down a 173-run target in just 16 overs.
Details
Pitch report and other details
The match between South Africa and Afghanistan will get underway at 7:00pm IST. The game can be watched live on JioStar Network channels or streamed online via the JioHotstar app and website. The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium has aided the batters in the ongoing tourney, with SA posting 185-plus scores in the first two matches here. Spinners can get some assistance in the middle overs.
Information
Here's the head-to-head record
In terms of the head-to-head record, South Africa and New Zealand have met 18 times in T20Is. As per ESPNcricinfo, South Africa hold an 11-7 advantage. The Proteas have won each of their past four T20 WC games against the Kiwis.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
SA predicted XI: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi. NZ predicted XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.
Forecast
Here are the key performers
Tim Seifert slammed match-winning fifties in each of NZ's first two games. Having played 23 matches in the T20 World Cup, Mitchell Santner has scalped 26 wickets at a fine average of 19.76. Lungi Ngidi is South Africa's leading wicket-taker in the ongoing tourney with seven scalps at 8.14. Quinton de Kock is the highest run-scorer for the Proteas in T20I cricket, having tallied 2,998 runs at 31.89.