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South Africa take on West Indies in the curtain-raiser of the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which has been moved to the UAE due to civil unrest in South Africa, the original hosts.
DATE & TIME: Friday 4th October, 2024: UAE – 2:00pm / USA (PST) – 3:00am / USA (EST) – 6:00am / UK – 11:00am / South Africa – 12:00pm / India – 3:30pm / Pakistan– 3:00pm / Bangladesh – 5:00pm / Australia – 8:00pm
VENUE: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, UAE
WEATHER: Uncomfortably hot temperatures with bright sunshine and highs of 38c.
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: USA – Willow TV / West Indies – ESPN Caribbean / UK – Sky Sports / South Africa – SuperSport / Pakistan – PTV Sports & TEN Sports / India – Star Sports / Bangladesh – Nagorik TV
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: USA – Willow TV website / West Indies – ESPN Play Caribbean app / UK – Sky Go / South Africa – SuperSport app / Pakistan – Myco, Tamasha & Shoq / India – Disney+Hotstar / Bangladesh – Toffee / Australia – Amazon Prime Video
HOW TO GET TICKETS FOR THE 2024 ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP: Click here for the latest ticket information for the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
SOUTH AFRICA FORM: FINALISTS ON HOME TERRITORY, PROTEAS AIM TO GO ONE BETTER
All-round phenom Laura Wolvaardt captains South Africa, who reached the ICC T20 World Cup final in last year’s addition of the tournament, beating England in the semi-finals before losing to Australia in the final. On paper, this is a strong squad well-equipped to challenge in the latter stages of the tournament.
WEST INDIES FORM: INDIVIDUALS STARS KEY TO WINDIES SUCCESS
Hayley Matthews will play a key role with both bat and ball, not to mention as captain. Lots of experience and raw power can be found via Deandra Dottin and Stefanie Taylor. The worry from West Indies’ perspective however, is that the depth within their squad is lacking and could cost them across the competition.
SOUTH AFRICA BETTING ANALYSIS
There a number of South Africans who warrant investment from bettors, whether it be with bat or ball. Marizanne Kapp is one such player, but focus here should be on skipper Wolvaardt. Her batting has been outstanding across all formats for an extended period of time and she’ll be expected to end this tournament as one of the top run-scorers. It’s well worth backing her to record over 24.5 match runs against West Indies.
WEST INDIES BETTING ANALYSIS
As is the case with our betting analysis on South Africa, the one player who immediately catches the eye for West Indies is their leader. Hayley Matthews is capable of taking a game away from the opponent single-handedly with the bat and will look to target the boundary early on, taking advantage of batting within the powerplay. Utilise this advantage from a betting point of view by backing Matthews to strike over 2.5 match fours.
SOUTH AFRICA VS WEST INDIES EXPERT PREDICTION
Both South Africa and West Indies can call upon a selection of match-winners but what is likely to be decisive is the depth of the South African side being superior to that of the Windies. Both sets of players are used to playing in baking hot conditions and this isn’t expected to have an adverse effect on the Proteas, who should be backed to secure victory.
SOUTH AFRICA VS WEST INDIES TOP TIP: SOUTH AFRICA TO WIN