West Indies suffered a major setback in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 when star batsman Brandon King was injured during their match against South Africa.
The incident occurred when he attempted a difficult catch from Aiden Markram, but the ball slipped from his hand, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Brandon King’s dive, missed catch, and exit
Aiden Markram played a shot towards cover off Matthew Forde’s bowling. The ball went in the air, and King dived full-stretch to his right.
But the ball barely grazed his fingertips. As he fell, his hand and elbow hit the ground hard.
According to the report, “Brandon King dove to his right, full stretch, but the ball only clipped off his fingertips, and he ended up hitting the ground really hard.”
Not only that, it further stated, “Not only was the catch dropped, but he also injured himself.”
The physio immediately came on the field and after examination, King was taken off the field. This moment proved to be very costly for the West Indies, as Markram was given a lifeline.
West Indies, batting first, scored 176 runs. The top and middle order failed to perform fully, but the team’s batting depth made the score a fighting one.
West Indies bowlers could not defend even 177 runs
The target of 177 runs proved to be small against a strong batting lineup like South Africa. The opening pair of Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock held the fort, while Ryan Rickelton also showed good form.
Defending a score of less than 200 on the Ahmedabad pitch is considered difficult.
Ultimately, South Africa won the match by 9 wickets, breaking the West Indies’ winning streak.
With this victory, South Africa became the second team to reach the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the equation for Group A has also become interesting. India now needs to focus solely on winning against Zimbabwe to end the run rate crisis.
The West Indies are still in contention, but their final match is against India at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This match will be a do-or-die affair for them.
