West Indies Tour of South Africa 2023

SA vs WI 1st T20I

Preview

The first T20I between South Africa and West Indies will be played on Saturday, 25th March 2023, at 05:30 PM IST in SuperSport Park, Centurion. The ODI series was drawn as the first match was abandoned due to rain, and both teams won one game.

South Africa hasn't played a T20 game since their horrifying loss against the Netherlands in World Cup 2022. This series will allow them to press a reboot button in the shortest game format.

With so many lethal hitters on its roster, South Africa is a risky team at home. However, in this form, Quinton de Kock does well. The left-handed opener has a strike rate of 133.62 and scored 302 runs against the West Indies in T20Is, the highest of any South African hitter.

The hitter to watch out for in the immediate future is Rilee Rossouw, who has scored 241 runs in his previous eight games at a strike rate of over 180. Additionally, Heinrich Klaasen will maintain his strong play in the T20Is. The destructive batsman mocked a 261-run goal in the penultimate one-day international against the West Indies by slamming a spectacular unbeaten 119 off only 61 balls.

The most threatening middle-order player for the West Indian bowlers will be David Miller, who has just rediscovered his mojo as a finisher.

When the ball is fresh, Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, leading South Africa's fast bowling outfit, will be more than a match for anybody. In this series, Tabraiz Shamsi should also do well. The left-arm wrist spinner's record against the West Indies is excellent, with seven wickets in 6 T20Is and a 5.08 economy rate.

This West Indian team lacks the aura of the squad that won two T20 World Cups and at one time appeared unbeatable. However, despite being in a period of rebuilding, they have a lot of good players that can make a difference in this series.

The performance of Brandon King and captain Rovman Powell will be crucial. King is a top-order hitter with 2303 T20 runs, two of which are hundreds. Powell, in contrast, has already amassed 104 fifties in T20Is. 

Nicholas Pooran is one of the pitchers to be wary of. The talented left-handed hitter would love batting on these wickets and can dismantle any attack.  

The Windies' bowling lineup has a decent variety of players. Alzarri Joseph, a right-arm fast bowler, had a substantial Test and ODI series against South Africa, winning 12 and 6 wickets, respectively. He is used to them and will provide a danger to the South African hitters. Odean Smith has a joyful aptitude for collecting wickets, even if he may leak runs. The Proteas were hampered by left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein in the ODIs when he claimed five wickets in 2 games at an economy of 6.35. He has our support to succeed in this series as well.

Match Details

Match: SA vs WI, 1st T20I,  West Indies tour of South Africa, 2023

Date: Saturday, March 25, 2023

Time: 05:30 PM

Venue: SuperSport Park, Centurion

Pitch and Weather Report

It will be a brand-new pitch. The side that wins the toss will probably choose to bat first and attempt to get a high score.

At SuperSport Park, the first-inning score is typically 177. The highest score recorded was a massive 241-6 score by South Africa versus England in 2009. Four times here have, totals above 190 been reached. The side that bats first must aim to establish a 200-run+ target.

The Centurion SuperSport Park field is batting-friendly, with plenty of runs available. The ball will come on beautifully to the bat, and the pitch will be new and firm. The pacers will have some early movement in general, but hitters will, after that, have a blast. On this wicket, they should also be able to hit through the line.

On the game day, Centurion is predicted to see chilly conditions with a chance of showers in the late afternoon.

SA vs WI Squads

SA: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Tristan Stubbs (wk), David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Marco Jansen, Bjorn Fortuin, Sisanda Magala.

WI: Rovman Powell (c), Kyle Mayers (vc), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Johnston Charles (wk), Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Sheldon Cottrell, Shamarh Brooks, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Odean Smith, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Yannic Cariah.

SA vs. WI Probable Playing XIs

SA: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Wayne Parnell, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi/ Bjorn Fortuin, Kagiso Rabada

WI: Rovman Powell (c), Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran, Johnson Charles (wk), Jason Holder, Yannic Cariah, Akeal Hosein, Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph

Match Prediction

In T20Is, South Africa has a 10-6 record against the West Indies. In the previous five T20Is, they had also defeated them four times. The Proteas will start as the clear favorites for both this game and this series. They have a tremendous amount of batting depth and significant bowling variation. This West Indies T20 team is inexperienced and yet finding its rhythm. They will have a difficult time against the home team. While their hitters will enjoy themselves here, their bowling's lack of bite and inexperience will probably be their downfall. South Africa is to win this match.

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