Plucky UAE look to sign off on a high with SA scalp

The threat of rain looms over South Africa's final group stage game in the T20 World Cup 2026, but for a change, there is no jeopardy of weather-induced heartbreak for last year's finalists. They have won their three games so far, and already secured their spot in the Super Eight.

They will, however, want to keep up their winning habit, and go into the next round with a perfect record. The match against UAE will also see South Africa play their first game outside Ahmedabad this World Cup, so it will be a test for them in comparatively unfamiliar conditions.

The match will offer South Africa a chance to rotate, and also work on any potential weaknesses they may have identified so far.

They come up against a UAE side that showed plenty of fight in their last match against Afghanistan. Although it ended in defeat, Alishan Sharafu and Sohaib Khan's knocks, as well as their bowling display for most parts of Afghanistan's chase, will give them confidence.

That game was also a day match in Delhi, so UAE will feel they have a better grasp of the conditions.

They may not have qualification to play for, but a chance to end their campaign by slaying a giant will be ample motivation for UAE.

South Africa: WWWLW (Last five completed T20Is, most recent first)

UAE: LWLLL

With just two wickets in three games, it's been a quiet World Cup so far for South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada. As one of South Africa's talismans, he will want to improve those numbers and go into the Super Eight stage high on confidence. It was the fast bowlers who enjoyed better results in the last game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, and Rabada will want to make his mark felt.

UAE's captain and their most prolific run-getter, Muhammad Waseem, began the World Cup with a half-century against New Zealand, but returned scores of 4 and 10 in their next two games. Against a strong South African bowling lineup, UAE will want Waseem to use his experience and lead the batting lineup from the front.

The match against UAE provides an opportunity for South Africa to rest a player or two before the next round of the tournament, as well as give some minutes to players who haven't had a chance to play in this World Cup so far. South Africa could hand a game to Jason Smith, who for long looked like he was going to be South Africa's finisher until Tristan Stubbs' resurgence to form in the SA20 and his late call-up thanks to Donovan Ferreira's injury.

South Africa XI (probable): 1. Aiden Markram (capt), 2. Quinton de Kock (wk), 3. Ryan Rickelton, 4. Dewald Brevis, 5. David Miller, 6. Tristan Stubbs/Jason Smith, 7. Marco Jansen, 8. Corbin Bosch, 9. Kagiso Rabada, 10. Keshav Maharaj/George Linde, 11. Lungi Ngidi/Anrich Nortje

UAE are unlikely to make a change to the side that took on Afghanistan.

UAE XI (probable): 1. Muhammad Waseem (capt), 2. Aryansh Sharma (wk), 3. Alishan Sharafu, 4. Sohaib Khan, 5. Syed Haider, 6. Harshit Kaushik, 7. Muhammad Arfan, 8. Haider Ali, 9. Simranjeet Singh, 10. Junaid Siddique, 11. Muhammad Jawadullah

The match will be played on the same pitch on which India beat Namibia and UAE registered their only win of the competition, against Canada. Outside of India's score of 209 for 9, there have only been two scores of 160 or more - both in UAE's defeat to Afghanistan. With Wednesday's clash being a day game, expect the ball to grip and stay low.

"I wouldn't like to make statements about that (South Africa going all the way). We were in a really tough group. The first box is ticked, getting through to the next stage. To me, the World Cup starts now."

"Overall, our journey has been good so far. Yes, the first game, we never did well as a bowling unit but I think we batted well. But the last two games, we really proved that we are a better team than what was expected after the first game."