Zimbabwe's darlings versus South Africa's juggernaut

We started with three. Now there are two, and soon there will be one. African teams at the men's T20 World Cup, that is.

Namibia were the first to go, a consequence of losing all four of their group games. The going was always going to be tough for them. Cricket is well resourced and excellently run in their country, but at this stage they cannot compete consistently with the bigger sides. So it was not a surprise that they struggled to make an impression.

But the Zimbabweans surprised immensely, beating not only the lesser-fancied Oman but also Australia and Sri Lanka to storm into the Super Eights. They would have fancied their chance of winning against Ireland, but that match was washed out.

Zimbabwean cricket has emerged into the light after years of instability and mismanagement the likes of which Namibia has never known. But those teams' performances in this tournament couldn't have borne less resemblance to their off-field circumstances.

Brian Bennett, who has been dismissed just once in five innings in the tournament and was second among the run-scorers after Thursday's match, could yet be named Player of the Tournament. He may indeed have batted his way into an IPL contract. Might that also be the case for Blessing Muzarabani, who is in second place on the wicket-takers' list?

What isn't in question is that the Zimbabweans will be on their way home after their match against South Africa in Delhi on Sunday. Sikandar Raza's side have been the darlings of the World Cup, but that doesn't earn any points in the standings. They lost their Super Eights games against West Indies and India, and are out of the running for a place in the semifinals.

The South Africans have been the tournament's juggernaut. They are the only unbeaten side among all 20 who started the competition and are safely in the semifinals. The sole instance of them being stretched was when they needed two super overs to scrape past Afghanistan.

Thus they are heavily favoured to be too strong for the visibly flagging Zimbabweans, whose best hope might be that because South Africa do not need to win on Sunday, they won't. But this team seems better organised and settled than any others from their country at a World Cup, so that seems unlikely.

South Africa clearly top cricket's African hierarchy. They only think of teams like Zimbabwe and Namibia when they have to play against them. But the Zimbabweans and the Namibians celebrate South Africa's successes almost as joyfully as their own.

Whatever happens on Sunday, they'll be watching Aiden Markram's men as the tournament reaches its sharp end.

When:Match 51, Sunday, March 1 at 3:00 PM Local Time

Where:Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

What to expect:Chasing teams have won four of the five matches played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with an average first innings score of 160. South Africa brushed past United Arab Emirates in their previous fixture at this venue but with dew not a factor, batting first may not be too bad a choice anyway.

Team news:

South Africa

With the job of reaching the semis done, they might just empty the bench. Which would mean the same XI who played against UAE at the same ground. If that happens David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi will take a break, and will be replaced by Jason Smith, George Linde, Anrich Nortje and Kwena Maphaka.

Probable XI: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka

Zimbabwe

It's difficult to think of a reason to make changes when you have one foot on the flight home. The same XI who India hammered by 72 runs in Chennai on Thursday will probably get another game.

Probable XI: Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava

Did you know?

* South Africa have won three of their four completed World Cup matches - ODI and T20 - against Zimbabwe.

* Zimbabwe's only win in World Cup games against South Africa was at Chelmsford in 1999, a result that put Australia into the final after they tied the semifinal against South Africa at Edgbaston.

* The Zimbabwe and South Africa squads were on the same flight to the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. When the Zimbabweans took some beers to the South Africans to celebrate their return to the global game after isolation, the Saffers declined the offer.

What they said

"You've got to respect the opposition. They've done their bit to qualify for the Super Eights. They've done well to be here. They'll be disappointed that they don't have an opportunity to go further in the tournament. But we want to ensure that we maintain our discipline and intensity." - Batting coach Ashwell Prince says South Africa's foot will remain firmly on the gas.

"I don't think it was the case that we figured we had done enough. We still wanted to get some more done. Unfortunately, that has not happened. The guys are still learning. Hopefully we will make that adjustment." - Courtney Walsh, Zimbabwe's bowling consultant, doesn't agree that the team relaxed after reaching the Super Eights.