Match 9 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup on Monday sees South Africa enter the competition for the first time as the Proteas take on Canada.
This is the second game in Group D, with New Zealand having beaten Afghanistan by five wickets on Sunday. The Proteas will look to pick up a dominant win to lay a marker in the group, with matches coming up against Afghanistan (Wednesday), New Zealand (Saturday), andthe UAE (Next Tuesday).
Here is a look ahead at the contest.
South Africa vs Canada Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
South Africa vs Canada Date: Monday, February 9
South Africa vs Canada Odds:
History
While South Africa are the overwhelming favorites in this one, the theme of the 2026 T20 World Cup so far has been the minnows pushing the bigger teams harder than expected.
The opening match saw Pakistan leave it until just three balls remained to beat the Netherlands, while hosts India needed a 49-ball 84 from Suryakumar Yadav to spare their blushes against the USA.
Yadav was dropped in the teens, possibly preventing a result that would not have been the biggest upset in cricketing history, but also one of the greatest upsets in any sport.
England is another fancied team that struggled in their opener. A last-ball six from Nepal’s Lokesh Bam would have won the game for the Asian minnows, but he was only able abl to produce one run as England won the match by four runs.
South Africa
The interesting thing about this match from the Proteas’ perspective is that the team has little idea what to expect from the Canadians.
Cricket is a sport where the best face the best regularly across formats and franchise leagues. The Proteas bowlers know the tendencies and weaknesses of their Indian, Australian, and English counterparts.
That cannot be said here. Canada hasn’t played a T20 in seven months and is the third-lowest-ranked side in the comp. That will make them unpredictable, especially with the Proteas facing them first up in the tournament.
This is a classic case where South Africa needs to play its own game and rely on the skills that it has as opposed to thinking too much about the strategy before the game.
Canada
Canaga and South Africa have never faced each other in a T20. The two counties have played only one game, an ODI in the 2003 World Cup.
For Canada to have a shot here, they have to be brave and take risks. South Africa will not know their game plan coming in, or much about their players.
Best Bets
The top order dominated the T20 warmup series against the West Indies, so the Proteas wouldn’t mind the middle order getting some work here with much bigger tests to come.
It is great to see David Miller back in the squad as he was a doubt at the end of the SA20 season. He is 23/4 to be the top scorer and is worth a shout, as he will want to get some work in after the injury break.
This is a batter-friendly wicket. I like at least one Proteas player to break 50 and, if they get hot during the power play, a batter to get to 100 certainly isn’t out of the question.
