T20 World Cup: Shepherd, Holder’s 89-run stand lifts West Indies to 176/8 after early collapse
AHMEDABAD: An unbeaten 89-run stand for the eighth wicket between Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder lifted the West Indies to 176/8 in their crucial Super 8 clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The Indies side had slumped to 83/7 before the duo staged a remarkable recovery with a counter-attacking partnership that revived the innings. Shepherd remained unbeaten on 52, while Holder fell agonisingly short of a half-century, run out for 49 on the penultimate ball of the innings.
South Africa’s pace duo Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi ripped through the West Indies top order to leave them reeling at five down in their Rabada and Ngidi struck twice each in the third and fourth overs, triggering a dramatic collapse after the Windies had made a strong start. The sudden burst of wickets swung momentum firmly in South Africa’s favour and put the Caribbean side under intense pressure in the powerplay.
Earlier, South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bowl first in the high-stakes encounter.Teams: South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
The Proteas fielded an unchanged XI, while the West Indies brought in Roston Chase in place of Akeal Hosein for the Super Eights fixture.