West Indies vs South Africa Preview & Prediction | 1st T20 International
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
Following victory in the two-match Test series between these two nations, South Africa now look to back that up with victory in the T20 international fixtures, which should see significantly different personnel on both sides.
DATE/TIME: Friday 23rd August 2024 - UK – 8:00pm / US EST – 3:00pm / US PST – 12:00pm
VENUE: Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, West Indies
WEATHER: Extremely hot with bright sunshine and temperatures at over 30c.
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / India – TBA / US – Willow TV
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / India – Fancode / US – Willow TV
WEST INDIES FORM: WINDIES REVERT TO PERHAPS THEIR STRONGEST FORMAT FOLLOWING TEST DEFEAT
Many would consider West Indies to be significantly stronger when it comes to T20 cricket, despite them not reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals in their own country earlier this year, but when you consider some of the players at their disposal, you can understand why they are seen as such a danger to opponents in this format of the game.
LAST FIVE: LWLWW
SOUTH AFRICA FORM: AFTER FALLING AT FINAL HURDLE IN T20 WORLD CUP, PROTEAS AIM TO BUILD AGAIN
South Africa were magnificent across the T20 World Cup, enjoying a 100% record right up until the final, the first major ICC men’s final in their history where they were beaten by India in a game they really should have won and you could even argue, the Proteas threw away. Such a defeat will have taken a long time to get over for such a strong squad who truly believed that it was their time.
LAST FIVE: LWWWW
WEST INDIES BETTING ANALYSIS
Nicholas Pooran comes into the Windies squad for these T20i fixtures and should immediately provide a huge boost from a batting point of view, His relentless power-hitting makes him one of the best players in the world right now in T20 cricket and South Africa’s bowlers will struggle to contain Pooran if he gets going. Explore backing the 29-year-old to accumulate over 1.5 match sixes and also to score 30+ runs.
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph has been raising eyebrows across the cricketing world for all the right reasons whilst playing in the Test arena over the past month or so. Now he looks to make an impact in T20 cricket and a bowler of such pace is likely to gain success against an opposition unafraid to attack him. Therefore, it’s well worth backing Joseph to pick up over 1.5 match wickets if he is selected.
SOUTH AFRICA BETTING ANALYSIS
Captain Aiden Markram has always been a reliable run-scorer for South Africa in white ball cricket, mainly because he boasts the temperament and control to bat sensibly when required, but also hit the ball to all corners of any ground when the time comes to accelerate. A player of Markram’s quality warrants investment, so consider a stake on the Proteas skipper to finish this first T20i as South Africa’s top batter.
Another batter worthy of a mention is Ryan Rickelton, who enjoyed a very profitable Major League Cricket campaign when it came to runs scored for Seattle Orcas. He was one of the only bright sparks for a struggling Seattle and that must have given him a huge injection of confidence heading into this series. Back Rickelton to record over 21.5 match runs here.
WEST INDIES VS SOUTH AFRICA EXPERT PREDICTION
South Africa have rested a large number of their key T20 stars, both batters and bowlers and whilst they boast a significant level of depth within their player pool, to lose so many big names against a very good opponent could well cost them. It also remains to be seen whether they are still adversely affected by the outcome of that T20 World Cup final.
West Indies are desperate to get any sort of win on the board, especially after that home Test series loss most recently and big names being back in the fold for them will help. Having the likes of Pooran available especially is game-changing and why the Windies are worth backing to claim victory in the opening T20i.
WEST INDIES VS SOUTH AFRICA TIP: WEST INDIES TO WIN
