Ahmedabad, Feb 14 (NationPress) Captain Aiden Markram launched South Africa to a commanding seven-wicket victory in Match 24 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, following a stellar performance from pacer Marco Jansen, who achieved a career-best 4-40 against New Zealand.

Jansen's exceptional bowling was pivotal in dismantling New Zealand's batting lineup, as he recorded a remarkable three-wicket haul during the Power-play and later dismissed the dangerous Mark Chapman (48) to claim his four wickets, restricting New Zealand to 175/7 in their 20 overs after South Africa opted to field first.

Markram followed up with an explosive 86 runs off 44 balls, including eight fours and four sixes, forming key partnerships with Quinton de Kock (20), Ryan Rickelton (21), and David Miller (24 not out). South Africa successfully chased down the target, reaching 178/3 in just 17.1 overs, finishing the game with 17 balls to spare.

This victory marks South Africa's third consecutive win, placing them firmly at the top of Group D with six points, while New Zealand stands second with four points from two victories. The UAE is positioned third with one win from two outings, while Afghanistan and Canada remain winless.

The impressive win also enhanced South Africa's Net Run Rate, while New Zealand experienced a setback in this aspect as well.

In pursuit of 176 runs, Markram began aggressively, striking consecutive boundaries off Matt Henry in the opening over, followed by a six and another four off Lockie Ferguson in the subsequent over. His explosive batting continued, with two sixes and two fours in the third over bowled by Jacob Duffy, propelling South Africa to an impressive 83/1, marking their joint-highest Power-play score in a men’s T20 World Cup.

After losing de Kock (20) following a 62-run opening stand and adding 40 runs with Rickelton (21 off 14), Markram continued to dominate New Zealand's bowlers, benefiting from conditions that eased due to dew. He reached his fifty off just 19 balls (6 x 4, 4 x 6), and despite a slight slowdown after losing Dewald Brevis (21 off 17), South Africa was always in control. Miller (24 off 17) sealed the win with a six on the first delivery of the 18th over.

Earlier, Jansen wreaked havoc on New Zealand's top order, claiming two wickets in three balls, leaving them struggling at 58/3 by the end of the Power-play. He initiated the collapse by having Tim Seifert caught behind for 13 runs with the score at 33/1. Jansen then dismissed Rachin Ravindra (13 off 8) and Finn Allen, who had raced to 31 runs off 17 deliveries (4 x 4, 2 x 6), in quick succession, resulting in New Zealand at a precarious 53/3.

Things worsened for New Zealand when Keshav Maharaj took out Glenn Phillips, leaving them at 64/4 in the seventh over. However, a partnership of 74 runs between Mark Chapman and Daryll Mitchell for the fifth wicket steadied the innings, as they scored swiftly despite the pressure from the Proteas. Chapman looked set for a half-century but fell to Jansen, who deceived him with a well-timed slower delivery, resulting in a catch to Rickelton. Chapman scored 48 off 26 balls, including six fours and two sixes.

Mitchell fell for 32 runs off 24 balls (2 x 4, 1 x 6) before being dismissed off a catch from Tristan Stubbs off Lungi Ngidi. New Zealand's struggles continued with skipper Mitchell Santner departing for just four runs off ten balls, resulting in a total of 145/7 in the 17th over.

James Neesham contributed an unbeaten 23 runs off 5 balls, including two boundaries in the final over, adding a quick 30 runs for the unfinished eighth-wicket partnership with Matt Henry (9 not out off 8) as New Zealand finished with a defendable total.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 175/7 in 20 overs (Mark Chapman 48, Daryl Mitchell 32, Finn Allen 31, James Neesham 23 not out; Marco Jansen 4-40) lost to South Africa 178/3 in 17.1 overs (Aiden Markram 86 not out, David Miller 24 not out; James Neesham 1-15, Lockie Ferguson 1-33) by seven wickets.