Date – Tuesday, 3rd March 2020
Time – 7 pm (Local Time), 1:30 pm (IST)
Venue – Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney
The round-robin matches of the Women’s World T20 is almost done with. We have entered the last day of this stage will all teams qualifying to the semi-finals confirmed. With hosts Australia defeating New Zealand in the final Group A encounter, Australia have booked the semi-finals berth along with India. From Group B, England and South Africa have qualified for the semi-finals winning their respective matches yesterday.
The action from Group B is far from over, though. There may be a dead-rubber between Pakistan and Thailand in the afternoon. However, the match between South Africa and West Indies is far from that. Although South Africa will progress to the semis irrespective of the result of the match, the result will still have an impact in the semis. If South Africa wins the game, they will top the group with 4 wins out of 4, being the second team after India to have an undefeated streak in the tournament. They will then face Australia in the semis, who have been crowned champions in 4 out of 6 editions.
On the other hand, if West Indies manage to trounce South Africa, they will end up with the same points as England, but their net run-rate will stay below England’s and they will be the runners-up in the Group. In such a scenario, they will face a red-hot Indian side, who have won 4 games on-the-trot and buoyed with confidence due to wins against top sides like Australia and New Zealand.
Whatever the case may be, South Africa might progress to the semis, but the semi-finals will not be an easy one.
South Africa vs West Indies – Head-to-Head & Form Guide
South Africa have played against West Indies in this format as many as 18 times. However, it is the West Indies team that has dominated the proceedings with 13 wins against South Africa’s 4. One game has ended without the match being completed. With a win-loss ratio of 13-4 in West Indies’ favor, they look a better team going into this match. However, two out of the four South African wins were during their West Indian tour in 2018. In the 5-match series, both teams won two games each, with one game being abandoned.
When we analyze their record in World T20s, we see the West Indies completely stealing the show. They have met each other four times in the history of the tournament – in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2018 – and West Indies has won all four of them.
South Africa – WWWLW
West Indies – LLWLL
(Last 5 completed matches)
South Africa are on a good run at the moment, having won three games on-the-trot, beating a top team like England. Even before this tournament, they managed to win the ODI series against New Zealand in New Zealand before winning a game against them in the T20Is. These wins will help them in being positive about their game and thinking about the win.
West Indies, though are on a very difficult path at the moment. They have lost 4 out of their last 5 games, their solitary win in this period only coming against Thailand. They lost the series against India and Australia at home before arriving in Australia in this tournament. Injuries to key players and poor performances in the field have played their part.
West Indies may be strong on paper but will be deflated due to their defeat caused by injuries and fielding display. Also, South Africa look a much better side than what their team was earlier. They might be in a better position to improve their record against West Indies.
Teams
South Africa Squad – Dane van Niekerk (captain), Chloe Tryon, Trisha Chetty, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk, Lizelle Lee, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Mignon du Preez, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Laura Wolvaardt.
The South African side has an experienced group of core players who will be expected to make heavy contributions throughout the tournament. Lizelle Lee is a hard-hitting batter and can take on the bowling early in the innings. Dane van Niekerk is a reliable all-rounder along with Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez, and Sune Luus. Shabnim Ismail will be expected to lead a relatively inexperienced bowling unit consisting of Tumi Sekhukhune, Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nondumiso Shangase, and Nonkululeko Mlaba. The all-rounders will also be contributing quite heavily with the ball.
With Marizanne Kapp recovering, South Africa have no injury concerns and will look at fielding the same XI that played in the last game.
Likely XI – Dane van Niekerk (captain), Chloe Tryon, Trisha Chetty (wicket-keeper), Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Lizelle Lee, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Mignon du Preez, Laura Wolvaardt
West Indies Squad – Stafanie Taylor (captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle (wicket-keeper), Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Lee-Ann Kirby, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman
The West Indian squad is led by the reliable Stafanie Taylor. The side is packed with match-winners. Stafanie Taylor has been exceptional in this tournament in the past is among the top run-getters and wicket-takers in the history of the tournament. She is supported by Deandra Dottin who also has a good record in this tournament. Her powerful strikes can change the momentum in her side’s favor very quickly. Much depends on these 2 players in building a launchpad of the batting unit. Hayley Matthews has also been a very important member of the side and has made quite a few contributions while batting. The bowling line-up is led by two experienced fast bowlers, Shamilia Connell and Britney Cooper. Anisa Mohammed is their most prolific spinner and is also among the top-wicket taker in the format.
However, an injury to Stafanie Taylor played its part in a dismal performance by the team against England. Stafanie’s injury is an irreparable loss to the side. The team will be led by the acting skipper, Anisa Mohammed.
Likely XI – Anisa Mohammed (captain), Shemaine Campbelle (wicket-keeper), Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, Chedean Nation, Britney Cooper, Lee-Ann Kirby, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shakera Selman, Shamilia Connell
Players to Watch out for
Dan van Niekerk (South Africa) – Dan van Niekerk, is a very capable middle-order batter and will be looking to anchor the innings should the openers fail. She has played 79 T20Is scoring 1776 runs with as many as 10 half-centuries. She has also picked up 59 wickets, showing that she is an effective bowler as well, to add to her batting skills. Although she made a big error while batting against Thailand, she is quite an important player in the side, as evidenced by her contribution against England, picking up 2 wickets and scoring 46 runs off 51 balls to guide South Africa to victory.
Lizelle Lee (South Africa) – South Africa’s hard-hitting opener will set the tone for her side while batting. Having scored 1500+ runs with as many as 11 half-centuries and a strike rate of over a run-a-ball, she will look to score rapidly looking forward to building a strong foundation for her team. Her contribution will help South Africa in building the score further with the help of their experienced all-rounders. She was due for runs and ended up scoring a blistering century against Thailand in the last game which helped her rediscover her lost form.
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) – Laura Wolvaardt has been an excellent batter for South Africa. With 386 runs in 24 T20Is, scoring two half-centuries, she is a promising player for her side. Her latest half-century came against the West Indies where she smashed a 36-ball 53. If she can negotiate the middle overs and finish strongly, she can propel the score in the end overs.
Deandra Dottin (West Indies) – West Indies’ high-flying batter will surely look to dominate the bowlers again as she has done in the past. She is known for brisk starts and can unsettle the bowlers with her powerful strikes. She has scored the fastest century in Women’s T20Is. She is also a handy bowler as she has shown in this tournament with the best figures ever in Women’s T20I – 5 wickets taken for just 5 runs. She has had a run of poor scores but big runs are due from her bat sooner or later.
Anisa Mohammed (West Indies) – The leader of the West Indian spin attack, Anisa Mohammed is very effective with the ball. She was the reason behind her side’s victory in the only time that they met in this tournament, with her picking up 3 wickets to break the back of Pakistan’s chase. With 119 wickets, she is the highest wicket-taker in this format with an average of just under 18 and the best bowling figures of 5 wickets for just 10 runs. Considering the pitch at Sydney favoring spinners, she will have an important role in drying up the runs and picking up a few wickets.
Pitch & Conditions
The match between South Africa and West Indies will be played at the Sydney Showground Stadium. There has only been a total of 3 Women’s T20I matches being played here, all in this tournament. All three matches have been won by the team batting first. Run-scoring is relatively known to be more difficult here with the pitch lending more assistance to the spinners due to its subcontinental-like nature. The average score batting first has been only 137, even then the team batting first has won. This suggests that teams winning the toss should bat first, put the runs on the board and dry up the runs later using the assistance available for spinners.
The temperature is expected to stay between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius, which would not be overly uncomfortable for the players. However, it is expected to rain during the evening which may affect the match. Teams winning the toss should be looking to fielding first and chasing to take advantage of the DLS calculations. It must be noted with the rain predicted that, in case of abandonment, South Africa will end up with 7 points to England’s 6 and will face Australia in the semi-finals.
Can South Africa improve their record against the West Indies and top the group? Will West Indies pull off a win? Or will the rain play the spoil-sport? We can’t wait for this match. Follow us on Twitter for all the updates.