WI v SA World T20 Preview: Nagpur pitch once again in limelight for a key clash

Not much has changed since the last time the South African cricket team visited the Orange city of Nagpur. The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium at Jamtha is still making headlines for the pitch that had given the Proteas a horrendous time in a much-debated Test match in India. The pitch gave India a harsh lesson during the team’s World T20 2016 opening encounter against the Kiwis and both teams, West Indies and South Africa, will be wary of its turning nature.

West Indies:

The Caribbean Kings have had a wonderful time this far in a country that has always adored, loved and embraced them with open arms. West Indian cricketers are the soul of IPL and the team has ensured that their fans are not disappointed. The affection with which the Bangalore crowd cheered for Chris Gayle will remain one of the highlights of this World T20. No other country welcomes cricketers in the manner in which India does and West Indies, to their credit, have always shown the respect towards their fans here. Nagpur is likely to witness a huge crowd especially since Gayle will be pitted against his friend, RCB teammate and South African great AB de Villiers.

The 2012 World T20 Champions though are not all about the Jamaican. Samuel Badree and the big Sulieman Benn have bowled brilliantly in the tourney this far. The entertaining side may well consider bringing in the off-spin of Ashley Nurse who is also a handy lower batsman. If they do so, Johnson Charles is likely to get the axe from the playing eleven that featured against Sri Lanka. Andre Fletcher played a blinder against the defending champions in Bangalore and will hope to continue his form.

South Africa:

JP Duminy has been ruled out of their match having strained a hamstring during SA’s win over Afghanistan in Mumbai on Sunday. This is a huge blow considering the nature of the surface. The southpaw is not just a key member of the batting unit but also contributes effectively with the ball. His off-spin could have given skipper Faf du Plessis an important option to work with. Aaron Phangiso is certain to get a go since apart from the first-choice spinner Imran Tahir, he is the only other slow bowler in the squad.

Dale Steyn is likely to sit out of this match while either of Kagiso Rabada or Kyle Abbott will make way to accommodate Phangiso. With Duminy out, the Proteas will need a batsman lower down the order. Either Rilee Rossouw or Farhaan Behardien will get a place and the latter’s usefulness with a ball makes him a prime candidate. South Africa will have to play their best game in the competition to get the better off a strong and in-form West Indian side.

Pitch and Conditions:

The pitch at Jamtha will be a spinner friendly surface and the team that wins the toss will ideally want to bat first. It should be a fascinating contest between the bat and the ball, and the latter in all probability is likely to do most of the talking.

Form Guide: (Last five completed games most recent first)

West Indies:  WWWLL

South Africa:  WLLLLW

Probable XI-

West Indies:

Chris Gayle, Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles/Ashley Nurse, Marlon Samuels, Dinesh Ramdin (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy (C), Carlos Brathwaite, Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn.

South Africa:

Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis (C), AB de Villiers, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien/ Rilee Rossouw , David Wiese, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada/ Kyle Abbott, Aaron Phangiso, Imran Tahir.

Stats:

1. Hashim Amla needs 49 runs to complete 1000 T20I runs.

2. Chris Gayle is the only West Indian to score more than 1000 T20I runs. He is followed by Darren Bravo who has 993 and Marlon Samuels who has 992 runs.