West Indies Vs South Africa, Match Preview
South Africa bounced back well to defend another middling score in the second T20I. The bowling strength was on display as Rabada took three wickets. The batting was more or less similar to the first T20, with South Africa getting to a score in the 160s. There are a few positives, though, despite similar scores. Temba Bavuma and Reeza Hendricks got some runs, while Quinton De Kock gave a handy start.
For West Indies, the sides batting frailties were on display. While the first T20 was a show of explosiveness, the second saw the downside of a batting line-up that looks only for big shots. The top-order consumed too many dots as they couldn’t find the boundary, and Fabien Allen was left scrapping in the lower order. His twelve-ball 34 helped West Indies get close but was too late to force a change in result. The middle-order’s performance was below par, but such a performance is likely to be a one-off. With such a strong line-up, the West Indies know that they’d need only one good innings to push the game their way.
West Indies Vs South Africa, Team News
South Africa have stuck to the same eleven in both games but have struggled with their bowling resources. South Africa hasn’t got too many sixth bowling options leaving them very stiff with their bowling. They have Aiden Markram on the bench, who is a good batter and handy spinner. He could help solve the sixth bowler issue and also work with the middle-order.
The middle-order is another aspect that has been an issue. In both T20Is, there haven’t been too many runs from them, and someone like Markram may help solve the problem. Along with Markram, South Africa have a lot of seam bowling all-rounders on the bench. They could try bringing in one of them to strengthen the bowling and deepen the batting.
West Indies haven’t got too many issues with their bowling. The young bowlers are doing an excellent job, while Dwayne Bravo has been as good as ever in the death. The batting may concern the West Indies. The side needs to find a way to balance their aggression and strike-rotation. Nicholas Pooran’s form continues to be a concern, while the rest of the middle-order has not been consistent. They have Shimron Hetmyer on the bench, and Lendl Simmons may come in for Andre Fletcher.
West Indies Vs South Africa, Predicted XIs
West Indies (probable): 1 Andre Fletcher/Lendl Simmons, 2 Evin Lewis 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Kieron Pollard (capt), 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Jason Holder, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Fabian Allen, 10 Kevin Sinclair, 11 Obed McCoy
South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Aiden Markram/Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 George Linde, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Sisanda Magala/Lungi Ngidi, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi
West Indies Vs South Africa, Players to Watch out For
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is a legend in T20 Cricket, but his role as an all-rounder may be a question. He has done a brilliant job with the ball but hasn’t had much batting in the last few years. He has an excellent range of shots but maybe batting too low. With 6000 T20 runs, West Indies could try playing him up to push the innings forward.
David Miller
The middle-order hasn’t been suitable for South Africa, and the chance may be perfect for David Miller to step up. He is an aggressive batter and could make a difference as South Africa look to get past scores of 160. He has some support with Henrich Klaasen, and the two need to step up and release the top-orders burden.
West Indies Vs South Africa, Pitch Report
The same surface will be used for the third T20. Both games saw decent scores, and a similar outcome could be expected in the next round. The cover gave proper balance to batters and bowlers and spun a bit more in the second game. With the surface showing signs of wear, spin may play a prominent role in the future.
