If you’re reading this, then you must be following the T20 World Cup, and by now, you must have already been surprised by the fact that South Africa vs West Indies on the upcoming gloomy Sunday evening will be a virtual knockout.
6 games, 6 wins, most of them by holding nerves at crucial moments and turning things in their favour; South Africa so far has done everything they were expected to do as well as all the things they were never expected to do. Breaking the Dutch curse after a shaky start?? Done. Defending the then-lowest-ever winning total against Bangladesh? Done. Snatched the victory from Nepal to haunt them with heartbreak and then prevented the upset from the USA. South Africa even managed to defeat defending champions England in an almost-lost game.
Yet the men in Green and Gold find themselves in a must-win situation for their last game before the Semi-Final, for which they can blame anything except themselves because they have been exceptional on their side.
West Indies, not too contrasting with their performance, only lost to England a fortnight ago. A 10-over chase against co-host USA meant that Maroon boys, with their roof-touching net run rate, would either finish at the top of the group or wouldn’t qualify at all.
Probable playing XIs
South Africa is expected to remain unchanged from their winning combination, while the West Indies will very likely include Kyle Mayers in their side. Mayers replaced Brandon King, who later got injured and was ruled out of the tournament.
West Indies: Kyle Mayers, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Roston Chase, Rovman Powell (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Obed McCoy.
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottniel Baartman.
Ryan Rickelton might replace out of form Reeza Hendricks.
Players To Watch Out For
Quinton de Kock
He never had a reputation for delivering the best at big stages, but there is something different about Quinton de Kock playing his last ICC events. We witnessed it in the ODI World Cup 2023 and are seeing it again. Not the greatest of starts during group stages, but with back-to-back half-centuries and back-to-back man-of-the-match awards, the WK batsman is ready to give the last best push to fulfil his World Cup dream.
Quinton de Kock has a phenomenal overall T20 record against the Caribbean side: an average of 40 and a strike rate of 148 throughout 12 games.
A must-win game, a point to prove; Quinton de Kock will have to do special to allow himself to play more games in Proteas shirt at the biggest of stages. All eyes are on the hard-hitting Wicketkeeper.
Kyle Mayers
We have seen enough T20 tournaments where a replacement player turned things around for his team at crucial moments. Who else knows this fact better than the West Indies? It was a Trinidadian in 2016, and it might be a Barbadian in 2024.
Kyle Mayers won’t just replace Johnson Charles at the opening slot, he can also prove to be a game changer with his new ball powerplay bowling, a phase where they’ve struggled having tried Joseph, Russell and even Shepherd.
On Sunday night, South Africa will have every reason to beware of Kyle Mayers.
Key Matchups
Quinton de Kock v/s Andre Russell: 80 runs, 43 balls, 2 dismissals.
Quinton de Kock v/s Akeal Hosein: 55 runs, 26 balls, 2 dismissals.
Andre Russell v/s Anrich Nortje: 16 runs, 9 balls, 2 dismissals.
Nicholas Pooran v/s Kagiso Rabada ( t20s ): 32 runs, 25 balls, 3 dismissals.
WI vs SA Dream11 Team for Match 50 of T20 WC 2024
Wicket Keeper: Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran
Batters: Reeza Hendricks
All-Rounders: Andre Russell (c), Roston Chase, Aiden Markram (vc), Marco Jansen, Kyle Mayers
Bowlers: Anrich Nortje, Alzarri Joseph, Keshav Maharaj
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team, as we are not aware of the Toss Result and Final Playing XI at this moment.
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