MSL T20 2018: Match 21, Tshwane Spartans vs Paarl Rocks, Match Prediction, Who will win the Match?

Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers will lock horns for the first time this season.

Published - 04 Dec 2018, 19:37 IST | Updated - 04 Dec 2018, 19:37 IST

View : 2.3K

3 Min Read

The 21st match of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) is scheduled to take place between Tshwane Spartans and Paarl Rocks as two of the best friends in South Africa team AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis will lock horns. The Spartans, in the last face-off, got out of the jail defending the total in excess of 200 and won by just a solitary run. They will be hoping to have an edge over the Rocks at home as well now in order to register their third victory.

On the other hand, Paarl Rocks’ season has changed dramatically ever since their skipper Du Plessis has arrived and has led from the front. After losing their first couple of matches, the Rocks have come out victorious in three out of the last four encounters which has propelled them to the fourth position with 13 points to their name. They would be keen on making it to the playoffs with consistent performances.

AB de Villiers has failed to score big in this season so far apart from a couple of blitzkriegs. He is yet to stamp his authority on the opposition bowlers which must’ve left the team management also in trouble. Taking a cue from Du Plessis, he needs to lead from the front now if the Spartans are to qualify for the playoffs.

Pitch and Conditions

The scores of close 180 have been scaled in Centurion and the trend is likely to continue in this game as well. The forecast is of a cloudy afternoon though there are no chances of rain. The temperature will hover around 30-32 Degrees Celsius with the cloud cover increasing as the game progresses.

Team Combinations

Tshwane Spartans

The Spartans are going nowhere with their team selections at the moment. They don’t have enough options at the bench either and might be forced to go with the same XI despite losing the previous game. Dean Elgar, Gihahn Cloete and De Villiers will have to take the responsibility with the bat while Jeevan Mendis needs support from the other bowlers.

Probable XI: Gihahn Cloete (wk), Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers (c), Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, Sean Williams, Rory Kleinveldt, Andrew Birch, Jeevan Mendis, Lutho Sipamla.

Paarl Rocks

The Rocks are looking good and they might not change the winning combination. Their top order is in good form and with the skipper Du Plessis in fine touch, the other batsmen can revolve around him. The likes of Aiden Markram and Vaughn van Jaarsveld are also more than capable of tonking the ball a long way. The bowling attack has also come together nicely for them in the last few games with the local players stepping up to the challenge.

Probable XI: Aiden Markram, Henry Davids, Faf du Plessis (c), Vaughn van Jaarsveld, David Wiese, Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Grant Thomson, Dane Paterson, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tshepo Moreki.