West Indies and South Africa are set to clash in the first T20I of a three-match series on Saturday, August 24, at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. The three-match T20I series between West Indies and South Africa is a contextual anomaly on the cricket calendar because there does not seem to be any reason for it – other than that it was scheduled to take place.
The two teams have had a rich history in T20I cricket, as West Indies are two-time World Cup champions while the South Africa came close to lifting their maiden World Cup when India beat them in the finals in Barbados on June 29, 2024, in T20 World Cup 2024 finals.
While fans may see it as an opportunity to just be entertained, neither side’s coaching staff was willing to take that approach. Instead, they’ve already begun a narrative of using these matches as a first step on the road to the T20 World Cup in 2026, even as the memories from the 2024 event have barely receded where South Africa lost to India in the finals and West Indies missed the bus in the semis with loss to South Africa and Afghanistan.
WI vs SA Head to Head
West Indies and South Africa have locked horns against each other 23 times and the Proteas have a slight edge over the Men in Maroon, as South Africa have emerged victorious 13 times, while West Indies are just a solitary win away from levelling the head-to-head stats. The two teams have met four times this year and West Indies have won on four occasions.
However, South Africa won the recent outing between the two teams, as they beat the Windies by three wickets in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024. West Indies cleanly swept the South Africa the last time when these two teams played in a bilateral T20I series in May 2024.
Meanwhile, this is the third meeting between the two sides this year in T20Is. West Indies and South Africa played a T20I series earlier this year in May. West Indies won the series 3-0 at home. The two teams met again in the T20 World Cup where the Proteas won the match on the DLS method.
The two teams meet again in another T20I series with West Indies as the hosts once again. After losing the Test series, West Indies will be itching to make amends in the format in which they play at their best. They have been the two-time T20 World Cup champions. However, their graph has gone down in the last two to three years since the 2022 T20 World Cup where they failed to go beyond the first round of the tournament.
WI vs SA Pitch Report
The ground staff at the Brian Lara Academy are still smarting from news that the surface they prepared for the T20 World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan was deemed unsatisfactory by the ICC, and will be keen to do better.
As a reminder, South Africa bowled Afghanistan out for 56 and chased the score down inside nine overs, with the low scores being put down to uneven bounce and excessive seam movement. But happily, that’s not the norm here, and in 35 completed first innings in the CPL, the average first-innings score is 145, which, in the last two seasons, has increased to 158.
On the weather front, there may be some nerves as well after rain washed out most of the first Test, which was held in nearby Port-of-Spain. But the news is better for the T20Is. There are morning showers forecast for Friday and Sunday – the days of the first and second match – which should clear by the afternoon. The third game, on Tuesday, might be in some danger of being affected, but downpours are not expected to be constant, and a three-hour playing window should be possible. All three matches will start at 3pm local time.
The pitch at Trinidad has a reputation for being on the slower side, which is expected to bring the spinners into play. Slower bowlers could hold the key to success in this encounter, as the surface is likely to make big hits hard to come by. Historically, the venue has favored teams batting first, with an average first-innings score of 128.
Out of the nine matches played here, teams batting first have won four, while teams chasing have won five. The captain who wins the toss might be tempted to bat first, hoping to capitalize on the fresh pitch before it begins to slow down.
WI vs SA Big Picture : West Indies hope to lay foundation for future and South Africa looks for Talent Depth
For West Indies, the failure to reach the semi-finals of their home tournament – after defeat against South Africa – confirmed to white-ball coach Daren Sammy that they need to work on their tournament-play. In the lead-up to this year’s T20 World Cup, West Indies came out on top in four out of five T20I series, including two against South Africa and one against England. At the tournament itself, they were unable to beat either side in the Super Eights, when it mattered most.
Whether another series against South Africa can help West Indies overcome this issue is debatable, but it does allow Sammy to keep his core group of players together – 11 of the 15 who were part of the World Cup squad are in this one – and hope the younger ones like Alick Athanaze and Sherfane Rutherford can learn from the likes of Johnson Charles and Rovman Powell.
South Africa have taken the opposite approach, and brought only six of the 15-member squad that reached their first men’s World Cup final as they try to create depth around the big names and among players who don’t always feature in T20 leagues.
Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi have all been given the series off, with recalls for experienced names like Rassie van der Dussen, and call-ups for promising youth like Under-19 World Cup’s breakout star Kwena Maphaka.
Rob Walter South Africa’s white ball coach will also be looking for some level of consistency as he builds the squad. Before the 2024 T20 World Cup, South Africa had not won a T20I series in six attempts since beating Ireland in August 2022. They went into the tournament with only two wins from their previous 11 games, though it’s worth remembering that they pulled off a stunning run of eight successive victories to reach the final.
WI vs SA : Batters and Bowlers to watch out for in the series
The highest T20 run-getter so far this year is Nicholas Pooran , who has played 54 matches and scored 1628 runs, including 11 fifties. He was also West Indies’ highest run-scorer at the T20 World Cup, with 228 runs in seven matches. Pooran is known as one of the biggest hitters and best finishers in the game, and will be after a three-figure score to top off a stellar 2024.
Just 181 runs behind him this calendar year is Reeza Hendricks, but the least profitable of South Africa’s top six at the T20 World Cup. Hendricks scored 113 runs from nine games in the competition and, after missing out on playing even a single game despite being a part of the squad at the 2022 tournament, may have a sense he did not fulfil his potential, especially as he just turned 35. But Walter is backing Hendricks to keep going, and Hendricks will know the expectation is that runs will come.
To that end, Kwena Maphaka, who was the Player of the Tournament at the Under-19 World Cup this year, could get his first international cap. He has already played first-tier provincial cricket for Lions, and two matches for Mumbai Indians at the IPL, so he has had some taste of the big time. Walter has yet to see Maphaka bowl in the flesh, but likes what he knows about him so far.
West Indies will also be relying on their younger quicks, with all of Alzarri Joseph, Jason Holder and Andre Russell rested. That puts responsibility on Obed McCoy as the senior seamer, and he has experience to lean on. McCoy has played more T20Is against South Africa and India than any other opposition – nine matches each – and had also bowled West Indies to a 3-0 series win against South Africa in May. He has also spent time in the SA20, so his knowledge of the South African batters could prove crucial for West Indies’ think tank.
WI vs SA : Probable teams
West Indies
West Indies enter this series after a narrow 1-0 defeat in the two-match Test series against South Africa. The first Test ended in a stalemate, but the visitors managed to snatch victory in the second match, winning by 40 runs.
Despite the loss, West Indies can draw strength from their recent success in the T20 format. Earlier this year, they convincingly whitewashed South Africa in a three-match T20I series at home, right before the T20 World Cup 2024
The home team has a formidable lineup brimming with explosive talent. Captain Rovman Powell will lead a squad featuring the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, and Sherfane Rutherford—players capable of turning the game on its head with the bat.
Complementing their batting brilliance, the bowling attack is equally potent, with Akeal Hossein, Shamar Joseph, Obed McCoy, and Gudakesh Motie ready to weave their magic on the field. With all this firepower, the West Indies will be eager to start the series on the front foot and make a statement with a win.
West Indies Probable Playing XI : Shai Hope, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wk.), Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell (c), Fabien Allen, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hossein, Gudakesh Motie, Obed McCoy, Shamar Joseph
South Africa
On the other hand, South Africa will stride into this series with confidence drawn from their Test series win. They not only emerged victorious in the Tests but also dealt a significant blow to the West Indies during the T20 World Cup 2024, eliminating them from the tournament on their home turf. The Proteas will be hungry to settle the score after their earlier whitewash, and they’ll be looking to hit the ground running.
South Africa’s batting lineup is nothing short of formidable, featuring heavy hitters like skipper Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, Donovan Ferreira, and Reeza Hendricks.
Their bowling department is equally well-stocked with talent, including Ottniel Baartman, Nandre Burger, the young sensation Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, and Lizaad Williams. With a squad like this, South Africa will be keen to turn the tables and make a statement of their own by starting the series with a bang.
South Africa Probable Playing XI : Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Tristan Stubbs (wk.), Donovan Ferreira, Wiaan Mulder, Nandre Burger, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Ottniel Baartman
West Indies vs South Africa Fantasy Playing XI : Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram , Rassie van der Dussen, Tristan Stubbs (wk.), Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hossein, Gudakesh Motie, Lungi Ngidi
WI vs SA Match Prediction
Considering the overall team composition and familiarity with the conditions, West Indies are the favourites to win the clash. This T20I series will continue the rivalry between the two sides which has been a riveting one so far. West Indies have won a few games in the past to come to level terms in this rivalry. South Africa last defeated them in the T20 World Cup 2024.