West Indies have not lost a single game in the 2016 World T20. They can become the first team from Group 1 to reach the semifinals of the competition if they manage to defeat South Africa at VCA Stadium in Nagpur Friday.
West Indies have a well-balanced team with quality batsmen and bowlers, who can help their team go a long way in the World T20. Most of their players have contributed in their two back-to-back wins against England and Sri Lanka. Their last victory against Sri Lanka was even more impressive as they did it without Chris Gayle, who could not bat after getting injured while fielding.
However, now it has been learnt that Chris Gayle is fit to play against the Proteas. Gayle is one of the best batsmen in the T20 format, and his participation will bolster their team's morale.
Besides Gayle, West Indies have Marlon Samuels, Andre Fletcher and Dinesh Ramdin, who can flourish with the bat. Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo are their crucial all-rounders. With pitches in India assisting slow bowlers, they have some decent spinners in the form of Sulieman Benn and Samuel Badree.
West Indies might have defeated England and Sri Lanka in their last two matches, but South Africa will prove to be their biggest test. South Africa are a dangerous unit with batting being their strong point. They have some incredible batsmen such as Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessi and AB de Villiers, who can change the course of the game in a matter of overs.
All their batsmen have performed in the World T20, which is an encouraging sign, but they are set to miss the services of JP Duminy, who has been ruled out of the important clash due to a hamstring injury.
Though their batsmen might have clicked, their bowlers have been below par. England chased down South Africa's score of 229 runs, which reflects Proteas' poor bowling performance. Afghanistan also scored 172 runs, while chasing Afghanistan's score of 209 runs. Despite quality bowlers such as Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn, they have looked below par in the World T20.
South Africa have only won one game in the competition, and are in a serious need to defeat West Indies to have any chance of qualifying for the semifinals. Hence, it is time for South Africa bowlers to get into their act and inch closer to the semifinals.
Teams: South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, David Wiese.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Evin Lewis, Jerome Taylor.
South Africa vs West Indies schedule
Date: March 25
Time: 7.30 p.m. IST ( 2 p.m. GMT, 9 a.m. ET)
Venue: VCA Stadium, Mohali
TV listings: India: Star Sports 1/HD1, Star Sports 3/HD3. Indian subcontinent: Star Sports network. West Indies: ESPN. South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: SuperSport. New Zealand: Sky Sports. UK: Sky Sports. US and Canada: Willow TV. Middle East and North Africa: OSN Sports Cricket HD. Australia: Fox Sports 3. Hong Kong and Singapore: Star Cricket.Malaysia: Astro Cricket HD,
