Ahmedabad: Canada won the toss and elected to bowl against South Africa in the ninth match of Group D of the T20 World Cup 2026, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa said, “We will bowl first. The boys are excited rather than anxious. We’re playing against South Africa, who were runners-up in the last World Cup, so it’s a big challenge. Everyone is very happy to play at this stadium and is really looking forward to a night game. It looks like a very good batting track. However, because of the conditions and the possibility of dew later on, we decided to bowl first. Let’s see how it plays out.
“Our preparation has been good. Because of the weather back home in Canada, we couldn’t get enough cricket there, but thanks to our board, we had a pre-tour in Sri Lanka. We played some very good practice matches there, including against Sri Lanka A, which helped us a lot going into the World Cup.
“We’ve gone with a balanced attack – three fast bowlers and spin options. The seamers are Kaleem Sana and Dilon Heyliger, and in spin, we have Saad Bin Zafar as a left-arm spinner, Ansh Patel as a wrist-spinner, and myself.
“It’s a great experience for our players. Many of them have already played in the GT20 league, where they got the chance to rub shoulders with big international players. But the World Cup is a much bigger stage, and it’s a great opportunity for them to showcase their talent to the world.”
South Africa captain Aiden Markram said, “Looks a pretty good surface. Hopefully, we can get to a good start with the bat, get to a good score and continue with that momentum with the ball in hand.
“We have been blessed with the draw, I suppose. Looking forward to it. the wicket looks good. A fantastic stadium to play in. Looking to get to a good start in Ahmedabad and run away with it.
“It is a big help. People can say whatever they want to say about white ball wickets, but they do vary from continent to continent. It does not mean that they are bad wickets. They are good wickets, but they can be different. We are fortunate that we have played quite a lot of a cricket in the subcontinent in the recent times.
“That is the long term goal. But first we have to earn the right to play in the Super 8s and then the knockouts. But having a good group phase is where the focus is now.
“Tristan Stubbs plays at no. 6, that was one of the question marks. 4 seamers — Lungi (Ngidi), KG (Rabada), Corbin Bosch and Marco (Jansen) and Kesh (Keshav Maharaj) as the spinner.”
Playing XIs :
Canada: Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wk), Harsh Thaker, Saad Bin Zafar, Jaskaran Singh Buttar, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel
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
