South Africa and West Indies Boost Semi-Final Hopes at ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026

South Africa and West Indies strengthened their chances of reaching the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with crucial victories in their respective matches on Sunday.

In Manchester, South Africa produced a remarkable comeback to defeat India by six wickets, thanks to an outstanding all-round performance from Marizanne Kapp. The experienced all-rounder first claimed figures of 2/27 to help restrict India to 158/7 before smashing an unbeaten 81 to guide the Proteas to 161/4 in 19.1 overs.

India got off to a flying start after being asked to bat, with openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma racing to 59/2 in the powerplay. However, South Africa's bowlers, led by Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, pulled things back during the middle overs. Harmanpreet Kaur scored 24 in her 200th T20 International, while Deepti Sharma's quick 29 helped India post a competitive total.

South Africa's chase suffered an early setback when Sree Charani's double-wicket maiden reduced them to 25/2. With the pressure mounting, Kapp took control of the innings. She shared a crucial 97-run partnership with Tazmin Brits, who contributed 40 runs, before finishing the game in style. Kapp's unbeaten knock, featuring four sixes, earned her the Player of the Match award and kept South Africa firmly in contention for a semi-final berth.

Meanwhile, in Bristol, West Indies continued their impressive run with a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka. Captain Hayley Matthews once again led from the front, producing a match-winning spell of 3/15 to restrict Sri Lanka to just 99 runs.

Sri Lanka endured a difficult start after electing to bat, losing four wickets inside the powerplay. Matthews removed key batters Vishmi Gunarathne, Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama to put the Caribbean side in complete control. Nilakshika Silva top-scored with 30 and attempted to rebuild the innings, but Sri Lanka never recovered from the early collapse.

Chasing a modest target, West Indies faced a few anxious moments as Sri Lankan bowlers struck at regular intervals. Matthews contributed 17 runs before being run out, while Kavisha Dilhari impressed with figures of 2/22.

However, veteran batter Stafanie Taylor remained unbeaten on 27 and guided her side home with almost four overs to spare.

The victory marked West Indies' third consecutive win of the tournament, strengthening their position in Group B and keeping them firmly on course for a place in the knockout stage.

With the tournament entering a crucial phase, both South Africa and West Indies have significantly enhanced their semi-final prospects, setting up an exciting ub battle for the remaining qualification spots.

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