West Indies vs South Africa Match Prediction – Who will win today’s 1st T20I match between WI vs SA?

Preview  

After a one-sided Test series, West Indies and South Africa are all set to lock horns in the five-match T20I series. The opening game is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 26 and the Proteas would be looking to get off to a winning start.

Earlier this year, South Africa lost both their T20I series against Pakistan. But with a number of their key players back in the mix, the visitors would be fancying their chances big time.

As far as the Caribbean team is concerned, they are languishing at 10th in the ICC rankings for T20I teams. It’s pertinent to note that West Indies are yet to beat South Africa in a T20I in home conditions out of two matches.

Match Details

Match – West Indies vs South Africa – 1st match

Venue – National Cricket Stadium, St George’s, Grenada

Time – 11:30 PM IST, 06:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Fancode

Pitch report

Only one T20I has been played at the venue and it turned out to be massively high-scoring. Both Ireland and West Indies scored in excess of 200 with the former winning by four runs.

Putting runs on the board should be the way forward for both teams. There are chances of rain around 2 PM to 3 PM and hence, there could be delays. The temperature will be around the 27 degrees Celsius mark.

Avg score: 206 (1 T20I in Grenada)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 0, Lost – 1, N/R – 0

Playing combination for WI vs SA

West Indies

Predicted XI

Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Kieron Pollard (C), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards

Bench: Hayden Walsh Jr, Akeal Hosein, Oshane Thomas, Kevin Sinclair, Obed McCoy, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Fletcher

South Africa

Predicted XI

Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram/Reeza Hendricks, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, George Linde/Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje

Bench: Janneman Malan, George Linde/Bjorn Fortuin, Lizaad Williams, Kyle Verreynne, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram/Reeza Hendricks, Wiaan Mulder

WI vs SA Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 10 | West Indies – 4 | South Africa – 6 | N/R – 0

In West Indies

Played – 2 | West Indies – 0 | South Africa – 2 | Draw – 0

Probable best batsman of the match

Quinton de Kock– South Africa

Quinton de Kock was in impressive form in the two-match Test series where he got scores of 141* and 96 and got out only once while batting in the middle order. In the T20Is, he is set to open the batting.

In 2021, the southpaw hasn’t played a T20I match, but showed good form for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The left-hander would be looking to carry on with his rich vein of form.

Probable best bowler of the match

Kagiso Rabada– South Africa

Like de Kock, Kagiso Rabada is yet to play a T20I in 2021. But keeping in mind the quality he possesses, he’s expected to hit his straps at the earliest. In 26 T20Is, the speedster has picked up 31 wickets with the best figures of 3/30.

In the IPL, he played for the Delhi Capitals (DC) and cranked up the pace. Also, the fact that he picked five wickets in the second Test should keep him in good stead.

Today’s match prediction: South Africa to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.