Why are South Africa yet to reach semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2026 despite defeating India & West Indies?
South Africa have won two games in a row in Super Eight of T20 World Cup 2026.
South Africa crushed West Indies like a walk in the park on Thursday, February 26, to register back-to-back victories in the Super 8 Round of T20 World Cup 2026. The Aiden Markram & Co. chased down a 177-run target by nine wickets at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Markram led the chase from the front, smacking unbeaten 82 runs. Quinton de Kock (47) and Ryan Rickelton (45*) also played decent hands with bat as the Proteas reached the target in just 16.1 overs. This came after they outplayed India in the opening game by 76 runs. They will play their last match of the Super 8 against Zimbabwe on Sunday (March 1).
Despite winning two consecutive games in Super 8, South Africa have not qualified for the semi-finals yet. Many fans expected them to confirm their seat in the semis after defeating West Indies and were confused why it did not happen.
Notably, England booked a berth in the semi-finals from Group 2 after winning their first two games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. However, the same did not happen in South Africa’s case, although they have a better NRR than England. Interestingly, Proteas can still be eliminated from the semi-finals in spite of winning two games.
Why South Africa have not qualified for semi-final despite defeating India and West Indies?
At the moment, South Africa have four points and take the top spot in the Group 1 points table. West Indies follow them with two points, while India and Zimbabwe are next with 0 points each.
If Zimbabwe win their next game against India and South Africa, they will have four points. Also, if Shai Hope & Co. outplay India in their next game, then South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe will finish with four points each.
If the Sikandar Raza & Co. manage to outplay South Africa by a very big margin, and West Indies also outplay India by a huge margin, then the Aiden Markram-led side could lose a semis berth on the basis of NRR.
In such a scenario, West Indies and Zimbabwe can grab the top two points in the Group 1 points table with a better NRR than the Proteas and progress to the next round.
However, this scenario will be washed out if India beat Zimbabwe on Thursday at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Also, with India’s victory, Zimbabwe will be eliminated, while South Africa will seal a semi-final spot.
Who grab the top spot in Group 1 points table?
South Africa are at the top of Group 1 points table with four points.
Did South Africa qualify for semi-final after winning against West Indies in Super 8?
No, South Africa did not qualify for semi-finals after winning against West Indies in Super 8.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.