South Africa produced a flawless display of power, precision, and consistency to lift the inaugural African Friendship Series 2026, defeating Zimbabwe 3-0 in an entertaining T10 series that showcased explosive batting, outstanding bowling, and several historic individual performances.
Played across Johannesburg Stadium, Newlands Cricket Ground, and St George’s Park, the three-match series featured breathtaking strokeplay, two career-first half-centuries, a maiden five-wicket haul, two historic hat-tricks in a single match, and several unforgettable all-round performances. South Africa remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, winning all three matches convincingly to finish with 6 points and a remarkable Net Run Rate of +6.36.
South Africa Dominate the Opening Match
The hosts announced their intentions in spectacular fashion during the opening T10 international, posting a massive 210/3 before restricting Zimbabwe to 170/9 to register a 40-run victory.
The match belonged to Wiaan Mulder, who delivered one of the greatest all-round performances of the tournament. Mulder smashed an unbeaten 91 from just 31 balls, bringing up the first T10 fifty of his career in only 19 deliveries, before returning with the ball to claim 2 wickets for 18 runs. His remarkable performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
South Africa also received explosive contributions from Quinton de Kock (48 off 19) and *Aiden Markram (28 off 5)**, helping the hosts cross the 200-run mark.
Zimbabwe fought back through an outstanding 66 off 16 balls from captain Sikandar Raza, who also reached the first T10 half-century of his career in just 12 deliveries. Despite his heroics, South Africa’s disciplined bowling attack secured a comfortable opening victory.
Mulder and Shamsi Seal the Series
Zimbabwe needed a victory in the second match to keep the series alive, but South Africa’s bowlers once again took complete control.
Batting first, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 117 in 9 overs after another outstanding spell from Wiaan Mulder, who finished with 3 wickets for 24 runs.
The highlight of the innings came from Tabraiz Shamsi, who produced the first five-wicket haul of his T10 career, finishing with brilliant figures of 5 for 30. His devastating spell dismantled Zimbabwe’s lower order and became one of the defining bowling performances of the tournament.
Chasing 118, South Africa comfortably reached the target with 1.4 overs remaining. Quinton de Kock blasted 37 from 11 balls, while Mulder added another explosive 30 off 11 deliveries to complete another outstanding all-round display.
Mulder was once again named Player of the Match, helping South Africa secure the series with one match still to play.
Historic Finale Produces Double Hat-Trick Drama
Although the series had already been decided, the third and final T10 international produced one of the most remarkable matches ever witnessed in the format.
South Africa’s opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Tony de Zorzi demolished Zimbabwe’s bowling attack with a breathtaking 117-run opening partnership.
De Kock hammered 88 from just 25 balls, bringing up the fifth T10 half-century of his career in only 18 deliveries, while De Zorzi celebrated the first T10 fifty of his career, reaching the milestone in an astonishing 13 balls before finishing with 56 off 15.
Just when South Africa looked set to post well over 220, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza produced a sensational spell. Bowling a remarkable over, he dismissed Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, and Nandre Burger with three consecutive deliveries to claim the first T10 hat-trick of his career, finishing with outstanding figures of 4 wickets for 10 runs.
Despite Raza’s brilliance, South Africa still posted 196/9.
Zimbabwe’s chase never gained momentum. Only Ryan Burl, with an explosive 40 from 8 balls, threatened the hosts before South Africa’s bowlers took complete control.
Wiaan Mulder claimed 3 wickets for just 2 runs, while Corbin Bosch picked up three more wickets.
The match concluded with another historic moment as Tabraiz Shamsi claimed his own career-first T10 hat-trick, dismissing Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, and Blessing Muzarabani with three successive deliveries. Zimbabwe were bowled out for just 77, giving South Africa a crushing 119-run victory.
The match became one of the rare occasions in cricket history to feature two hat-tricks in the same T10 international, with both captains producing unforgettable bowling moments.
Wiaan Mulder Named Player of the Tournament
There was little debate over the tournament’s best performer.
Wiaan Mulder was deservedly crowned Player of the Tournament after making match-winning contributions with both bat and ball throughout the series.
His tournament statistics were exceptional:
- 127 runs
- 8 wickets
- Average: 63.50
- Strike Rate: 276.09
- Best batting: 91* (31)
- Best bowling: 3/2
- Player of the Match: 2 awards
Mulder’s consistency and ability to influence games in both departments made him the standout performer of the series.
Tournament Award Winners
🏆 Champions
South Africa
⭐ Player of the Tournament
Wiaan Mulder – 127 Runs & 8 Wickets
🏏 Highest Run Scorer
Quinton de Kock – 173 Runs
🎯 Most Wickets
Tabraiz Shamsi – 9 Wickets
Records and Milestones
The African Friendship Series produced numerous memorable achievements:
- Wiaan Mulder scored the first T10 fifty of his career in just 19 balls.
- Sikandar Raza scored the first T10 fifty of his career in only 12 balls.
- Tony de Zorzi scored the first T10 fifty of his career in 13 balls.
- Quinton de Kock registered the fifth T10 fifty of his career in 18 balls.
- Tabraiz Shamsi claimed the first five-wicket haul of his T10 career.
- Sikandar Raza recorded the first T10 hat-trick of his career.
- Tabraiz Shamsi also claimed the first T10 hat-trick of his career.
- The third T10 international featured two hat-tricks in the same match, making it one of the tournament’s most extraordinary contests.
Final Standings
| Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Tournament Summary
The inaugural African Friendship Series 2026 delivered everything T10 cricket promises—explosive batting, fearless captaincy, world-class bowling, and unforgettable individual performances. South Africa dominated from start to finish, with every department firing consistently throughout the competition.
While Zimbabwe endured a difficult series, standout performances from Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, and Luke Jongwe provided moments of brilliance and demonstrated the visitors’ attacking potential.
For South Africa, the series belonged to a team that combined experience with aggression. Wiaan Mulder emerged as the tournament’s premier all-rounder, Quinton de Kock led the batting charts with breathtaking strokeplay, and Tabraiz Shamsi finished as the leading wicket-taker after producing both a five-wicket haul and a memorable hat-trick.
As the curtains came down on the first edition of the African Friendship Series, South Africa lifted the trophy in emphatic fashion, completing a perfect 3-0 whitewash and setting a high benchmark for future editions of the tournament.
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