T20 World Cup 2021, South Africa vs Windies (Super 12) Preview: Teams look to shrug off opening hiccup

The 2021 ICC T20 World Cup continues with its Super 12 stage. Meanwhile, South Africa and the Windies clash in their Group 1 clash in Dubai on Tuesday, losing their opening matches.

ICC T20 World Cup 2021, SA vs WI (Super 12) Preview: Team analysis, head-to-head, pitch, probable, fantasy xi-ayh

Ayush Gupta

Dubai - United Arab Emirates, First Published Oct 25, 2021, 7:12 PM IST

The Super 12s stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 has already seen its opening round of matches. Meanwhile, from Group 1, South Africa and defending champion Windies collide on Tuesday at the Dubai International Stadium. Ahead of this thrilling clash and an important one for both sides, we present the match preview.

Current form
Both the teams are off to a losing start. While South Africa lost to its opening game to former champion Australia by five wickets, Windies was annihilated by the 2016 runner-up England by six wickets in a low-scoring encounter. Nonetheless, this tie is expected to be more promising in terms of competition from both.

LIVE SCORECARD: ICC T20 World Cup 2021 - South Africa vs Windies (Super 12)

Team strength & weaknesses, and players to watch out
South Africa is somewhat heavy on its batting. It would be mindful of not having the services of opener Faf du Plessis, while the likes of David Miller, Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, along with Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, would be in huge focus. Overall, the Proteas bowling power would prove to be helpful.

Windies is also heavy in terms of its batting. However, it has been precarious and inconsistent of late. Nonetheless, veteran opener Chris Gayle, along with Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, skipper Keiron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Nicholas Pooran, would need to step up if they want Windies to be a successful contender to defend the title. Also, with its inexperienced bowling attack, barring veteran pacer Ravi Rampaul, things look tricky for Windies.

ALSO READ: T20 World Cup 2021 - ICC fines Liton Das, Lahiru Kumara for violating code of conduct

Injury concerns, head-to-head, weather and pitch report
None of the sides has any injury concerns for now. The two teams have faced off on 15 occasions, with South Africa leading 9-3, while in the tournament, of the three clashes, Protea leads 2-1. The weather in Dubai would be hot with 34 degrees of expected temperature and 48% humidity. The track would play out even while winning the toss, and bowling first would be ideal.

Probable XI
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi.
Windies: Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle/Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard (c), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Akeal Hosein, Obed McCoy and Ravi Rampaul.

ALSO READ: Mohammed Shami gets support after being brutally trolled after loss to Pakistan

Fantasy XI
Batter: Gayle, Miller, Markram (vc)- Gayle has a task at hand to provide the right start, while Miller and Markram can fire in the top-order. Markram's good patch makes him the deputy captain.
Wicketkeeper: Klaasen- The guy has shown determination and is sure to fire again in the middle-order.
All-rounder: Bravo- He has been highly effective with the bowl of late and would continue with the same.
Bowlers: Rampaul, Maharaj, Rabada, Hosein (c), Shami, Nortje- With six bowlers, Maharaj and Hosein would rule it with their spin bowling, while the other four are sure to be effective with their pace. Hosein's effectiveness makes him the skipper.

Match details
Date and day: October 26, 2021 (Tuesday)
Venue: Dubai International Stadium
Time: 3.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (Also available in HD, along with regional languages)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar