Ahmedabad, Feb 26 (IANS) Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd carried the team to make a strong comeback from a disastrous start as West Indies posted 176/8 in 20 overs against South Africa in their second Super 8s match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

Batting first, West Indies captain Shai Hope led the charge in the first over and hit 16 runs off just four balls against leg spinner Keshav Maharaj. The momentum continued in the second over as Brandon King smashed three consecutive fours against Marco Jansen.

However, the situation took a 360-degree turn in the third over as Rabada dismissed skipper Shai Hope (16) and in-form batter Shimron Hetmyer (2) in a single over. In the process, Rabada became the second-highest wicket-taker for the Proteas in the T20 World Cup with 32 wickets to his name.

Ngidi continued the momentum in the next over as he first took out King, who departed after scoring 21 runs off 11 balls. He also hammered five fours. The South African pacer castled Roston Chase in the same over, leaving West Indies reeling at 52/4 at the end of the powerplay.

Things didn’t change for the team after the powerplay as Corbin Bosch made a great comeback after going for a six and edged out Sherfane Rutherford in his first over of the innings.

Ngidi claimed his when he sent captain Rovman Powell to the pavilion in the ninth over. Team were reeling at 82/6 at the midway stage.

The 2024 T20 World Cup runner-ups further extended their dominance when Corbin Bosch removed Matthew Forde in the 11th over.

After a poor start, former captain Holder stood tall with Shepherd to take the team to a challenging total. The duo rescued the team with a magnificent partnership of 89 runs.

Shepherd completed his fifty in 37 balls and remained unbeaten at 52. Shepherd hammered three fours and four sixes during his innings, while Holder missed a well deserved half-century after getting dismissed for 49.

Ngidi was the most successful bowler for South Africa as he finished with brilliant figures of 3-30. While Rabada and Bosch took two wickets each.

Brief Scores: West Indies 176/8 in 20 overs (Romario Shepherd 52*, Jason Holder 49; Lungi Ngidi 3-30, Kagiso Rabada 2-22, Corbin Bosch 2-31) against South Africa.

–IANS

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