T20 World Cup 2021, Match 18: South Africa Predicted XI against West Indies

There were a lot of positives for South Africa to take after their close defeat against Australia in their opening match of the T20 World Cup. One of the biggest positives were their bowlers and fielders performance as they managed to fight till the very end and made Australia huff and puff to the victory.

The batting is the one area where the team would look to improve as none of the batters barring Aiden Markram, could get going. South Africa has a lot of potential in that department as they have players such as Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen.They will next face West Indies on Tuesday (October 26) in Dubai.

The Caribbean team are coming off a pounding against England and would be eager to put in a good performance. South Africa cannot afford to take the team lightly. The team has managed to beat West Indies in a five-match T20I series earlier this year, but records and form count for very little in the T20 format.

Here is South Africa’s predicted playing XI against West Indies:

Openers- Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock

Skipper Temba Bavuma started things off positively against Mitchell Starc by scoring two boundaries but got out to Glenn Maxwell for 12 runs in the last game. The right-hand batter would be kicking himself to not cash in on the start. Often Bavuma plays the sheet anchor role and allows Quinton de Kock to flourish at the other end. The skipper would be hoping to do well against West Indies.

Meanwhile, de Kock also failed to get going against Australia. Considering he is one of the key batters, the team team would be expecting some runs from the senior statesman. The wicketkeeper-batter also has experience of the UAE conditions owing to playing the IPL for the past two years.

Middle-order – Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Henrich Klassen, David Miller

Rassie van der Dussen had a rare failure with the bat in hand. Considering the form and confidence he is in, the right-hand batter would be hoping to get back to runs against West Indies in Dubai. Also, the middle-order is not South Africa’s stronger suit, and van der Dussen’s contribution becomes all the more vital. Markram shone brightly for his 40 runs and guided the team to 118 but he didn’t get the required support at the other end.

Hard-hitting batters David Miller and Henrich Klassen missed out on scoring opportunities against Australia. The duo got starts but were guilty of throwing it away. Against a quality team like West Indies, a minimum of 160 runs is a must and the duo’s late flourish will be vital in the team getting there.

All-rounder – Dwaine Pretorius

All-rounder Dwaine Pretorius tried his level best to defend the eight runs in the last over but in the end, it proved to be a tall task. Barring that last over, he managed to keep things tight and didn’t ball any freebies. He will be a vital player of the team in slow and low Dubai wicket.

Bowlers- Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Spin twins Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi managed to keep things tight by only, giving only 45 runs in their combined eight overs. The duo kept the team in the hunt till the very end against Australia.

They perfectly complimented Rabada and Nortje, who managed to pick three wickets between them. The bowlers will look to continue with the good show against the mighty West Indian batters.