T20 WORLD CUP | Bosch, Nortje star in South Africa’s easy win

South Africa dominates UAE in T20 World Cup, winning by six wickets with standout performances from Bosch and Nortje.

On a day of intermittent showers in the national capital on Wednesday, there was an air of inevitability about the proceedings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Such was the commanding nature of South Africa’s six-wicket win against the United Arab Emirates in the T20 World Cup Group-D contest. After Muhammad Waseem’s side was curtailed to 122 for six, the Proteas took 13.2 overs to knock off the target.

For the South Africans, who head into the Super Eight stage with four wins, Corbin Bosch (4-0-12-3) and Anrich Nortje (4-0-28-2) essayed pivotal roles with the ball. Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickleton and Dewald Brevis followed up with cameos in the chase.

South Africa's Anrich Arno Nortje in action during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 match against United Arab Emirates at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Under overcast skies, South Africa’s decision to bowl first was a no-brainer. More than the help on offer for the seamers, the possibility of a rain-truncated affair and the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS) coming into the calculation must have loomed large on Markram’s mind.

The UAE innings began with Waseem on the attack. In the third over, he thumped Kagiso Rabada for a hat-trick of boundaries. Rabada’s frustration grew when Quinton de Kock shelled a top-edged pull from Aryansh Sharma in the same over.

But once Waseem’s ungainly swipe across the line off George Linde resulted in a leg-before dismissal in the fifth over, the men in vibrant yellow and green applied the squeeze. Bosch got the better of Aryansh in the next over.