The Proteas look like a well-oiled machine in this series. In the second T20I, they chased down a mammoth target of 222 in just 17.3 overs, led by a blistering century of Quinton de Kock. The South African top class – with de Kock, Aiden Markramand young Lhuan-dre Pretorius– is in imperious form making light work of the Caribbean bowling attack.
For the West Indies, the story was one of ‘lots of runs, not enough wickets’. Despite posting 221 in the previous game, thanks Shimron Hetmyer’75 and Sherfane Rutherford‘s explosive 57, their bowlers have struggled to contain the Proteas. This final match is a crucial opportunity for the Windies to test their death-bowling depth ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup cycles, while South Africa could use the chance to rotate their squad and give more game time to fringe players such as Dewald Brevis or You are the cats.
SA vs WI, 3rd T20I: Match details
- Date and time: January 31; 9:30 PM IST / 4:00 PM GMT / 6:00 PM local
- Location: The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
SA vs WI Head-to-Head Record in T20Is
Matches played: 28 | West Indies won: 14 | South Africa won: 14 | No result: 0
The Wanderers Stadium pitch report
The Wanderers are known as a great pitch for hitters. The pitch bounces well and the outfield is very fast, racing the ball towards the boundary. Because the stadium is almost 1,750 meters above sea level, the air is thin and the ball travels further. This means fans can expect a lot of sixes. The average first innings score is around 177, but teams often need 200 or more runs to feel safe.
The ground, also called the ‘Bullring’, provides good resilience and carrying capacity, which helps fast bowlers. In fact, pacers take about two-thirds of the wickets here. However, if a bowler bowls short or wide, batters usually punish him with boundaries. In the past, chasing has produced somewhat capable teams because the pitch remains good under lights and the outfield remains fast. Still, the numbers are very close, with almost equal wins for teams batting first and second. As a result, the captain who wins the toss will decide mainly based on the weather and overhead conditions.
Also READ: Record-breaking century in 100th T20I: Quinton de Kock shines in South African win over West Indies
Squads
South Africa: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Dewald Brevis, Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Quinton de Kock, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Eathan Bosch, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs
West Indies: Brandon King, Johnson Charles (wk), Matthew Forde, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph, Quentin Sampson, Shai Hope (c), Gudakesh Motie
SA vs WI, 3rd T20I: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- South Africa wins the toss and bowls first
- West Indies powerplay score: 40-45
- West Indies total score: 150-160
Case 2:
- West Indies win the toss and bowls first
- Powerplay score South Africa: 50-60
- Total score South Africa: 170-180
Competition result: Team to bowl first to win the match.
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