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Despite being without a number of key T20i players, West Indies struck first against South Africa, taking the lead in the series courtesy of a 28-run victory, which saw their bowlers superbly shut the Proteas down.
DATE/TIME: Saturday 25rd May 2024, UK – 20:00 / JAMAICA – 14:00 / SOUTH AFRICA – 21:00 / INDIA – 00:30 / US EST – 15:00 / US CST – 14:00 / US PST – 12:00
VENUE: Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
WEATHER: Hot conditions with sunny intervals and temperatures in the early thirties, although a moderate breeze
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UNITED KINGDOM – TNT Sports / WEST INDIES – ESPN / SOUTH AFRICA – SuperSport / UNITED STATES – Willow TV
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UNITED KINGDOM – discovery+ / WEST INDIES – ESPN+ / SOUTH AFRICA – SuperSport / INDIA – Fancode
WEST INDIES FORM: STAND-IN CAPTAIN KING STEPS UP FOR MEN IN MAROON
West Indies must be delighted at how well they played in the opening game despite their absent first-choice players, with the top order stepping up to ensure a competitive score, before the bowlers took over and shut the game down with constant wickets.
LAST FIVE: WWLLW
SOUTH AFRICA FORM: PROTEAS UNDER PRESSURE TO RESPOND FOLLOWING MEEK BATTING DISPLAY
Only three of South Africa’s batting order managed to accrue a score in double-figures, underlining the poor nature of their display in the first T20i. That loss means that it’s now two T20i defeats in a row for South Africa and accelerates the need for a quick response.
LAST FIVE: LLWAL
WEST INDIES BETTING ANALYSIS
We mentioned the threat of Brandon King with the bat in our preview of the first match and he came through for us, scoring a brilliant 79 from 45 balls to set the foundations up nicely for an eventual victory. Backing him to finish as the Windies’ top batter and to score over 24.5 match runs has to be favoured.
Kyle Mayers demonstrated his ability to clear the boundary rope with three maximums for Werst Indies whilst batting at number three. Such a showing of power warrants investment in Mayers to score the most sixes across the West Indies’ batting line-up here, with him likely to deploy the same strategy.
SOUTH AFRICA BETTING ANALYSIS
He showed his quality at the ICC Cricket World Cup earlier in the year and is now coming in very handy again for South Africa. Opener Reeza Hendricks struggled to find anyone who could stay at the crease with him on Thursday, as West Indies took three wickets inside the powerplay, but his brilliant 87 gave the Proteas a chance across their ultimately unsuccessful run chase of 176.
Hendricks may well take his form into this next game with a fairly short turnaround between fixtures and backing him not only to score 30+ runs, but also to record over 0.5 match sixes at excellent odds.
After impressing in this year’s SA20, pace bowler Ottniell Baartman has brought that form onto the international scene, accumulating three wickets for just 26 runs. West Indies struggled significantly against him and it’ll be hard to change that in such short notice. Therefore, consider backing Baartman to grab another 1.5 wickets this time around.
WEST INDIES VS SOUTH AFRICA EXPERT PREDICTION
Home knowledge no doubt proved critical in West Indies opening win of the series. However, South Africa having now played at Kingston will have gotten to grips with the ground and are likely to demand more from themselves and moving into the first of this weekend double-header.
The West Indies bowlers tied South Africa up in knots, breaking through them multiple times in the powerplay and ensuring they could never get on top of the game despite Hendricks’ best efforts. But this remains a strong Proteas unit and with their match fitness having been built up thanks to the first T20i, expect a more all-round showing from them which doesn’t see the tourists overly reliant on the likes of Hendricks. This may be enough for them to draw level here.
WEST INDIES VS SOUTH AFRICA TIP: SOUTH AFRICA TO WIN