Proteas enter the fray on day three of T20 World Cup as Canada encounter awaits
T20 World Cup Game 7: Italy v Scotland
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date: Monday, 9 February, 7:30am
Key talking point:
Italy: Italy are the only debutants at this year’s T20 World Cup having qualified in second place in the 2025 Europe Regional Final. Gli Azzurri beat Group C rivals Scotland in the Regional Final to help book their place in India and Sri Lanka. Harry Manenti was the star of the show that day as he took five for 31 during the tense 12-run win, and he will no doubt be out to repeat such feats – he gets his chance on Monday as in a curious twist of fate Italy have been drawn to Scotland in their tournament opener.
Scotland: Ranked 14th in the world, Scotland only qualified for the tournament when Bangladesh withdrew – they were the highest ranked team who had not qualified and so they were offered Bangladesh’s place. What it means is they are probably slightly under-prepared but also, they have nothing to lose. Their late addition to the tournament is a complete bonus and they will be eager to capitalize on it. As it turns out they have landed in a group where they could easily cause an upset – Where the Scots are ranked 14, Italy are 27 and Nepal are 16. The other sides in the group are England and the West Indies (against whom Scotland acquitted themselves well on Saturday).
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Scotland have played one game at Eden Gardens – their opening day loss at teh hands of the West Indies, while Italy have never played at the imposing venue.
The average first innings score at Eden Gardens is 153.
The highest T20I score made at Eden Gardens was Pakistan’s 201 for five from 20 overs against Bangladesh in 2016.
The highest score successfully chased at the ground was India’s 162 for four against the West Indies in 2022.
Of the 13 T20Is played at Eden Gardens the side that chases have won seven while the side that bats first has won six.
Weather:
Expect bright, sunny skies and a pleasant peak temperature of approximately 27 degrees on Kolkata on Monday. With humidity levels staying low at around 35 percent, the heat will feel dry rather than sweltering. It is perfect weather for cricket with no hint of rain.
Form:
Italy: W, L, L, L, W.
Scotland: L, L, W, A, W.
Key players:
Italy, Wayne Madsen: Those who followed cricket in the 1980s will remember the Italian skipper’s uncles – Trevor Madsen and Henry Fotheringham. That’s some serious cricketing pedigree right there. At 42 years old Wayne Madsen is getting on, but it does mean that he is experienced. A stalwart of the English county circuit, he heads into the tournament after impressing with 61 not out against Ireland in a warm-up series.
Scotland, Brandon McMullen: If Scotland hope to secure a famous win they will need McMullen to step up. The 26-year-old has seven international fifties to his name with three of those coming against Australia in 2024, including a brilliant 60 at the last ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in a narrow defeat. The Durban-born allrounder scored 95 in a pre-tournament warm-up game against Namibia before making 14 against the West Indies on Saturday.
Prediction: Scotland
This is a tough one to call. Scotland boast the higher rank, but Italy meanwhile have done well in their warmup games, winning against UAE on Saturday and bagging a victory over Ireland in a bilateral series just ahead of the tournament. In many ways this is a final for these two teams – with neither likely to make it out of the pool phase this is the best chance for both sides to bag a win. We are tipping Scotland to edge it.
T20 World Cup Game 8: Oman v Zimbabwe
Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo
Date: Monday, 9 February, 11:30am
Key talking point:
Oman: Ranked a lowly 20th in the world, Oman are appearing on the T20 World Cup stage for the fourth time after coming through the Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier. On two of their three previous appearances, Oman have secured a win at the tournament, including beating Ireland in their very first game back in 2016 on debut. Jatinder Singh will captain the side and open the batting and will receive plenty of support from vice-captain and wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla.
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe are back at the T20 World Cup after missing the last edition of the tournament two years ago. While there are plenty of familiar faces with skipper Sikandar Raza and wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, it is the youngest player in the squad who played a big part in seeing Zimbabwe through the African Qualifier. Look out for batsman Brian Bennett – he is just 22 but was in the form of his life on home soil as he scored three half-centuries and a hundred to clinch Zimbabwe’s place in the tournament.
Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo
Neither Oman nor Zimbabwe have ever played a T20I at the ground.
Despite being a well-established Test venue, the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground has hosted just three previous T20Is. The most recent was Pakistan’s opening day win over the Netherlands.
The highest total recorded at the ground was Canada’s 176 for three made against Ireland in 2010 – this was also the lowest score ever defended.
The average first innings score at the ground is 158.
Weather:
Colombo will enjoy peak temperatures near 33 degrees on Monday on an afternoon that will be largely sunny with partly cloudy skies. Conditions are expected to remain stable with a negligible five percent chance of rain and light northerly winds. High humidity will make it feel warmer.
Form:
Oman: W, W, L, W, W.
Zimbabwe: L, L, W, L, L.
Key players:
Oman, Jiten Ramanandi: Oman’s strength looks set to be their bowling, with Jiten Ramanandi, Sufyan Mehmood and Nadeem Khan having all enjoyed plenty of success in the qualifier tournament. Ramanandi went wicketless in the warm-up game against Zimbabwe, where he was also expensive (he went for 43 runs in his three overs). But he has an average of 15.26 in the format with a strike rate of 13.2.
Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza: The Zimbabwe skipper may be getting on in years, but he is an outstanding performer, and he heads into the tournament ranked as the second best allrounder in the world. A couple of weeks ago he was topping that list, but Saim Ayub’s excellent performances for Pakistan against Australia saw him edge past Raza. Raza was superb in SA20 where he finished with the third most wickets in the tournament and contributed well with the bat for Paarl Royals.
Prediction: Zimbabwe
This will be a close-run thing, but Zimbabwe should edge it. The African side have greater international experience with players like Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzarabani and Brendan Taylor all having achieved at the highest level. Having said that, Oman did edge Zimbabwe in a warm-up
fixture
T20 World Cup Game 9: Canada v South Africa
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Date: Monday, 9 February, 3:30pm
Key talking point:
Canada: Two years on from making their T20 World Cup debut in the USA and the West Indies, Canada are back on the world stage for the 10th edition, looking for more of the same. They came through their qualifying campaign with flying colours winning six matches out of six. In 2024, the Canadians opened their account with a win over Ireland, but they lost out to the USA and Pakistan as they bowed out in the first round. They will do well to bag a win in 2026 with the game against UAE their best shot for a win.
South Africa: Group D is a tricky one with the Proteas joined by Afghanistan and New Zealand. Afghanistan made the semi-finals last time while New Zealand are a very experienced side, which means the results over minnow sides Canada and UAE are critical – it is not just about wins, it is about the run rate, and the Proteas will want to start on the front foot. The big talking point for Sout Africa has been the phoenix like rebirth of Quinton de Kock – after a two-year retirement he is back in the national colours and in the form of his life.
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
South Africa have played one previous T20I in Ahmedabad, a loss in 2025. Canada have never made an appearance at the ground.
Monday’s game will be the ninth T20I to be held at the venue.
The side that won the toss has fielded first in seven of the eight games played at the ground.
The average first innings score at the ground is 166.
The highest score made at the ground was India’s 234 for four from 20 overs scored against New Zealand in 2023. The Kiwi’s reply to that score was the lowest ever total at the ground – they were dismissed for just 66 runs.
The highest score successfully chased at the ground was India’s 166 for three from 17.5 overs, made against England in 2021.
Weather:
Ahmedabad is expected to experience clear skies with a low temperature of approximately 17 degrees on Monday evening. Conditions will remain dry with no chance of precipitation and a gentle breeze from the northwest. These cool and pleasant evening conditions are typical for February in Gujarat.
Form:
Canada: W, W, W, W, W.
South Africa: L, W, W, L, A.
Key players:
Canada, Dilpreet Bajwa: Canada secured their ticket for the World Cup by cruising through the Americas Regional Final, winning six matches out of six, and Dilpreet Bajwa was one of the standouts during that run. He has taken over the captaincy from Nicholas Kirton, who remains part of the squad. He averages 28.35 in T20I and comes into the competition having scored 37, 18 and 57 in his last three innings.
South Africa, Quinton de Kock: There are plenty of potential big scorers for South Africa in this one but expect De Kock to continue his excellent recent form against a side that should be hopelessly outgunned. Since returning from retirement QdK has been in excellent form – he was in the runs in the recent series against the West Indies and he topped the run-scoring charts for SEC in the SA20. He will relish the chance to open the batting against Canada.
Prediction: South Africa
It is hard to see this going anywhere other than in the favour of South Africa. The Proteas will want to start with a statement win and get their run-rate looking good. Canada will be the perfect opposition to do it against. Expect no mercy from the Proteas and a comprehensive win.
