South Africa will take on West Indies in the ninth game of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2013 at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on Friday. The teams from Group B have two points each on the table after beating Pakistan and losing to India in their respective meetings.
Match Overview:
With India qualifying for the semi-final after winning two consecutive games, South Africa and West Indies are left for the other spot from Group B. Both the teams are in 'do or die' situation as the winner of Friday's contest will enter the semi-final while the loser will return home.
South Africa conceded defeated to India in their first match but went on to beat Pakistan convincingly by 67 runs. Interestingly, West Indies also lost to India in the second match after beating Pakistan in their tournament opener. Both the teams will set their eyes firmly on the semi-final berth as they enter the contest.
Previous Meetings:
South Africa have 28-12 win-loss record against West Indies in their 51 meetings (ODI) that includes one no-result. However, they have 2-2 record in their four meetings in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Team News:
South Africa: Skipper AB de Villiers, Robin Peterson and Ryan McLaren were the main contributors in the first match against India, which they lost. Then it was opener Hashim Amla, who single-handedly scripted a win against Pakistan in the next game with a knock of 81. He will be expected to give the team a good start and the rest should pitch in the later part of the game. They have a good batting line-up.
Speedster Dale Steyn, who missed the earlier two games due to an injury, is set to be back in the team for the clash against West Indies. It will give a big boost to the team. Ryan McLaren is in great shape, taking seven wickets in two matches. Lonwabo Tsotsobe also took four wickets in the two innings. Their spell will be crucial to the team. Aaron Phangiso and Chris Morris, who has replaced injured Morne Morkel, make their bowling attack dangerous.
West Indies: After chasing down a low total posted by Pakistan in the opener, Johnson Charles and Darren Sammy guided the team to a decent total in the second match with half centuries though India bat passed the target with ease. They have good batting line-up in Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Darren Bravo, with a few of them capable of changing the course of a game with their batting exploits. They should put their acts together and put up a solid performance as South Africa are strong team.
Sunil Narine was the only wicket taker in the previous match, exposing the vulnerability of the team's bowling attack. They have Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul, Darren Bravo and Darren Sammy in the bowling line-up. They will be expected to restrict the score of the opponents.
Prediction:
West Indies boast of a strong batting line-up but South Africa enter the contest as the favourites to win.
Squads:
South Africa: AB de Villiers (Captain), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, JP Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (Captain), Denesh Ramdin, Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith
Where to Watch Live:
The match will kick off at 03:00 PM IST on Friday and it will be telecast live on Star Sports and Star Cricket channels. It will also be live streamed online on Star Sports official website.
