South Africa and West Indies will lock horns against each other for a four-match ODI series to be played between January 28 and February 6 in South Africa. This bilateral series will serve as a good practice for both the teams ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup that starts from March 4 in New Zealand.
Head to Head
Prior to this bilateral series, the two teams have played 28 ODIs against each other between 2005 and 2021. Out of the 28 matches, South Africa have dominated winning 14 matches, while the West Indies have managed to win 10. Two matches did not produce a result and the other two ended in a tie. From these numbers, it is evident that the competition is quite a neck-to-neck, and not one team has a clear dominance over the other.
Performance in last five ODIs
Looking at the performance of South Africa and the West Indies in the last five ODIs that they have played, South Africa clashed against India in March 2021, while the West Indies played their last five matches against Ireland (November 2021), Pakistan (October 2021) and South Africa (September 2021). While South Africa have won four out of their last five matches, the West Indies have won all five. In the recent past, both the teams have been in good form, which will certainly make the upcoming bilateral series between the two an enthralling contest.
According to Sports Betting Dime, after winning four of the last five games, South Africa remain the odds in favor against West Indies.
Squad news
While West Indies have announced a full-fledged squad for the bilateral series against South Africa, the Proteas, on the other hand, have been unfortunate to miss their star captain and all-rounder Dane van Niekerk due to ankle injury. To add salt to the wound, it is also known that van Niekerk will also not be a part of the South African team for the ICC Women’s World Cup. The absence of their captain for a mega-event like the World Cup will be a big blow for the Proteas. Sune Luus will captain South Africa in the absence of van Niekerk. South Africa’s Lizelle Lee who was declared as the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year will also not be a part of the West Indies series.
Players to watch out for
Stafanie Taylor: The captain of the West Indies will play a key role. She is an experienced campaigner and has played quite a lot against South Africa. She has more than 5000 ODI runs, out of which she has scored 651 runs against the Proteas. She is the highest run getter for West Indies against South Africa. With the ball, she has 21 wickets against the same opposition, which is again the highest by any West Indian bowler against South Africa.
Marizanne Kapp: In the absence of Dane van Niekerk and Lizelle Lee, South Africa will want their experienced all-rounder to take the onus with both bat and ball. She has over 2000 ODI runs and 100+ wickets. She is also the second leading wicket-taker for South Africa against the West Indies with 25 wickets in 16 innings.
Top five run-getters for South Africa against West Indies
1. Mignon du Preez 579 runs (20)
2. Cri-zelda Brits 526 runs (16)
3. Dane van Niekerk 423 runs (19)
4. Trisha Chetty 395 runs (15)
5. Lizelle Lee 307 runs (11)
Top five run getters for West Indies against South Africa
1. Stafanie Taylor 651 runs (17)
2. Deandra Dottin 467 runs (22)
3. Hayley Matthews 256 runs (11)
4. Shemaine Campbelle 250 runs (12)
5. Kycia Knight 222 runs (12)
Top five wicket-takers for South Africa against West Indies
1. Dane van Niekerk 38 wickets (22)
2. Marizanne Kapp 25 wickets (16)
3. Sunette Loubser 15 wickets (11)
4. Shabnim Ismail 14 wickets (15)
5. Sune Luus 13 wickets (7)
Top five wicket-takers for West Indies against South Africa
1. Stafanie Taylor 21 wickets (16)
2. Deandra Dottin 17 wickets (17)
3. Shaquana Quintyne 15 wickets (9)
4. Anisa Mohammed 12 wickets (22)
5. Shanel Daley 10 wickets (11)
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
