New Zealand and SA lock horns in high-octain clash, England aim to keep hopes alive

The eighth day of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will see Ireland take on Oman in the morning game, before England face Scotland in the second match. The final match of the day, that is the evening game, will see New Zealand and South Africa face off.

New Zealand and South Africa lock horns in a high-profile Group D showdown at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, in what promises to be one of the headline clashes of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group stage. With firepower across their batting orders and well-rounded bowling units, both teams appear evenly matched on paper.

New Zealand sit atop the Group D standings after securing two wins from two matches, most recently cruising to a 10-wicket victory over the UAE. Their commanding form has underlined their title credentials early in the tournament.

South Africa, just behind them in second place with two wins as well, arrive brimming with confidence after edging Afghanistan in a dramatic double Super Over thriller. With momentum on both sides, this contest could play a key role in shaping the group’s final standings.

Ireland meet Oman

Match 22 of the tournament will feature Ireland facing Oman in a Group B encounter at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday.

Ireland have endured a difficult start to their campaign, suffering back-to-back defeats and are sitting fourth in the standings without a point. Their regular skipper, Paul Stirling, was also ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after sustaining an injury in the previous match, with the team naming Sam Topping as his replacement.

Despite early setbacks, the Irish side will rely on their experience and overall squad depth as they prepare to challenge Oman. Meanwhile, Oman, captained by Jatinder Singh, have experienced a comparable run, having lost both of their matches so far in the tournament.

England face Scotland in crucial clash

England are set to take on Scotland in their third Group C match, with at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

England’s tournament so far has been far from convincing. After narrowly scraping past Nepal, they suffered a setback against the West Indies, leaving them fourth in Group C with a negative net run rate. With pressure mounting, this fixture becomes crucial to keep their campaign on track.

Scotland, meanwhile, have built steady momentum. A spirited performance against the West Indies, followed by a commanding victory over Italy, has lifted them to second place in the group with a strong +0.95 NRR.

Carrying confidence and belief, Scotland will view this clash as a key opportunity to tighten their grip on a qualification spot.

Phil Salt called on England to puff their chests out, stand up and keep their T20 World Cup hopes alive, saying on Friday that when they bring their A-game “sides can’t live with us”.

Harry Brook’s side fell to the West Indies in Mumbai on Wednesday and now need wins over Scotland and Italy in the next three days in Kolkata to be guaranteed to reach the Super Eights from Group C.

England played their first two matches at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and were below their exhilarating best that has seen them win 12 of their last 14 T20 internationals.

They squeezed home by just four runs against Nepal in a last-ball thriller on Sunday and then lost by 30 runs to the West Indies to end an eight-match winning streak.

“It’s just two games where I think it’s fair to say we haven’t been at our best. Not 10 or 12 games,” said Salt.

In both matches they struggled in the middle overs, with Brook suggesting after the West Indies defeat that his side were too tentative with their batting in their 197 chase.

“The opportunities are in front of us and are there to go out and play with some personality and express yourself,” Salt told reporters at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

“Because when we do that, sides can’t live with us. We know that much.”

The explosive Salt got England off to a roaring start with 30 off 14 balls against the West Indies before they collapsed from 74-1 to 166 all out.

“It’s about bringing it to that night and in that moment when you’ve got a decision to make, taking the positive option with your chest out and putting a stamp on the game.”

England were stunned by Ireland in the group phase of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia before going on to lift the trophy.

“Obviously we did that in 2022 and we’ll look to do that again here,” said England opener Salt.

The mood in the camp remained “pretty positive”, he added.

“If we can be that authentic side of ourselves, chest out, taking the game on and being smart, there’s nothing to stop us.

“If we want to go deep into this World Cup, we’re going to have to do exactly that.”

England named an unchanged side to face Scotland on Saturday.

Jofra Archer retains the new ball duties despite conceding 90 runs from his eight overs in the two matches in Mumbai.

Agencies