ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 34: South Africa vs UAE | Preview and Predictions

South Africa were the first team to book their spot in the Super Eight after demolishing New Zealand. Aiden Markram and Co are looking to go one better than last time. Next, they face the UAE, who still have an outside chance to qualify for the next stage after their win over Canada.

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 34 of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. 

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 | Match 34: SA vs UAE | 11:00, February 18, 2026

The Proteas have booked their place in the Super Eight and look to use their final Group Stage match to fine-tune any remaining chinks in their armour while continuing their strong form. Captain Aiden Markram is one of the leading run-scorers in the tournament so far, while Lungi Ngidi is the second-highest wicket taker in the World Cup so far; the Proteas look like they have all their bases covered.

The South African batting has been near perfect, with Markram and Quinton de Kock providing the team with explosive starts, while the middle and lower orders have closed out games reliably, with David Miller, Dewald Brevis, and Tristan Stubbs all finding runs towards the death.

While most of the wickets at this World Cup have come through the slower bowlers, South Africa’s bowling has been carried by their pacers. Ngidi has led from the front with regular wickets and has been ably supported by the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Corbin Bosch. If there is something SA will want to fix before the next stage, it’ll be getting their lead spinner, Keshav Maharaj, into the mix.

The UAE, meanwhile, come into this game on the back of their first win of the tournament against Canada, knowing that their qualification to the next stage is still in their hands; they have to win both their remaining games.

The Emirati side put up a commendable batting performance against New Zealand, with Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem getting crucial half-centuries, while Aryansh Sharma and Sohaib Khan joined the list with half-centuries of their own against Canada. The management will hope that the middle-order batters get some runs soon as well.

Bowling has been an issue for the UAE, though. They went wicketless in their opening game before Junaid Siddique’s 5/35 helped them pick up six against Canada. While they were economical against Canada, against a stronger batting unit they’ll need wickets to have any chance to win.

The Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi is one of the rare grounds in this World Cup that has seen a lot of runs, and runs will be on offer once again in Match 34, which we’re backing South Africa to win easily. 

Fantasy XI: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Waseem, Tristan Stubbs, Sohaib Khan, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada (vc), Lungi Ngidi, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Winners Prediction: South Africa