Sport

Thursday, February 26, 2026 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.
South Africa's captain Aiden Markram in action against West Indies during the World Cup Super Eights match in Ahmedabad Thursday. (AFP)

South Africa thrash West Indies in T20 World Cup statement win

South Africa captain Aiden Markram led from the front with an unbeaten 82 as South Africa all but secured a T20 World Cup semi-final berth with a brutal nine-wicket thrashing of the West Indies in Ahmedabad Thursday.After the West Indies fought back from deep trouble at 83-7 to post 176-8, Markram and Quinton de Kock put on 95 for the first wicket to set the platform for a thumping victory.South Africa raced to their target with 23 balls to spare, scoring 177-1. Ryan Rickleton was not out on 45 at the end."The wicket got really good again for batting, it was slightly tacky earlier when we bowled," said Markram."Steep bounce came from the tackiness. Fortunately we ended up on the right side of the toss. The guys bowled really well up front to take wickets."South Africa are the only unbeaten side, having also dismantled the pre-tournament favourites India by 76 runs in the Super Eights.An India win against Zimbabwe in Chennai later Thursday will guarantee South Africa's progress to the last four.It will also make India's clash against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday a winner-takes-all decider for the final semi-final berth.Markram reached fifty off 27 balls and hit four sixes and seven fours.De Kock scored 47 off 24 balls, with four sixes and Rickleton hit two sixes in his 28-ball knock in an utterly dominant display of batsmanship.The West Indies earlier needed a record eighth-wicket partnership by Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder to set a target of 177 after an early collapse.The pair came together with their team in deep trouble at 83-7 and put on 89, the highest eighth-wicket stand in the history of T20 internationals.Shepherd was unbeaten on 52 off 37 balls with four sixes. Holder was run out off the penultimate ball of the innings for 49 off 31 balls with three maximums."Very important to get a big score, and losing so many wickets in the powerplay cost us," said West Indies captain Shai Hope."We were 40-50 runs short. Must commend the guys in the bottom half for giving us a chance."Both teams came into the match with a perfect five wins in the T20 World Cup so far.South Africa have played four of their five matches in Ahmedabad and captain Aiden Markram had no hesitation in opting to bowl when he won the toss.The West Indies took 17 off the first over, bowled by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.Kagiso Rabada's introduction halted their charge as Hope (16) edged his second ball to keeper Quinton de Kock.Shimron Hetmyer was dropped at mid-on by Corbin Bosch off the next delivery, but lasted only two more when he miscued to midwicket where Maharaj snapped up the catch.Lungi Ngidi got in the act in his first over when Brandon King on 21 edged to De Kock and two balls later Roston Chase chopped on.From 29-0 after two overs, the West Indies had slumped to 43-4 after four.Ngidi took 3-30 from his four overs, Rabada 2-2 and Bosch 2-31. BRIEF SCORES: South Africa 177 for 1 (Markram 82*, de Kock 47, Rickelton 45*) beat West Indies 176 for 8 (Shepherd 52, Holder 49, Ngidi 3-20, Rabada 2-22, Bosch 2-31) by nine wickets

Gulf Times

Mexico president says there are ‘all guarantees’ for 2026 World Cup

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said there are “all the guarantees” for the 2026 FIFA World ‌Cup to be held in the country, after ​the capture and death of ‌Mexico’s most-wanted cartel leader triggered roadblocks, arson and ‌security clashes, notably in ‌Jalisco state. Asked if the top international ‌football tournament, which is expected to draw crowds of fans from around the world to matches in Mexico City, Monterrey and Jalisco’s capital Guadalajara, would pose a risk to visitors, Sheinbaum said there was “no risk.” A spokesperson for FIFA told Reuters that the organisation was closely monitoring the situation and was in close contact with the authorities. “We will continue to follow the ​actions and directions from the different government agencies, aimed at maintaining public safety and restoring normalcy, and we reiterate our close collaboration with federal, state, ‌and local authorities,” they said. Local Mexican leagues postponed ​some matches that had been scheduled for Sunday, the ​day cartel members coordinated a series of violent attacks across the country in the aftermath of an operation to capture cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” which resulted in his death. Sheinbaum told a morning press conference that the situation was continuing to normalise, noting that several new roadblocks appeared overnight but said security forces were working to safeguard public security. Sheinbaum has largely followed ‌the political map of her predecessor ‌Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who prioritised alleviating poverty and other root causes of violence, adopting a slogan of “hugs not bullets.”Asked whether the killing of Oseguera marked a break from that policy, Sheinbaum said this would never be the case. “The detention of a suspected criminal with an arrest warrant can generate this type of circumstance, but we are looking for peace, not ​war,” she said. The arrests of other top cartel figures in Sinaloa state have in recent years also triggered cartel retaliation, including shootouts and vehicles set on fire. Mexico is set to host 13 of 104 World Cup matches. Four of these are set to be held in Guadalajara. It will also host some preliminary warm-up matches before the tournament opens on June 11.