✖
Mcb777 Livetitle_temp

South Africa vs West Indies, 18th Match, Super 12 Group 1 - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2021 Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Date & Time: Oct 26, 02:00 PM LOCAL
The West Indies will hope to get their campaign back on track
The West Indies will hope to get their campaign back on track © Getty

That's that! South Africa beat West Indies by 8 wickets in Dubai for their first win in the tournament.West Indies, meanwhile, have slipped to their second consecutive loss. They will be disappointed with that outing. They struggled with the bat, especially Simmons, who took 35 balls for his 16. That sucked out the momentum in the batting, despite Evin Lewis racing away to a 32-ball 50. Once he fell, the middle order struggled against South African bowlers' astute variations.

In the chase, Bavuma fell in the first over, but Hendricks and van der Dussen ensured it didn't hurt them too much, reviving the innings with a brilliant 57-run stand for the second wicket. Hendricks fell, but Markram was the man they needed who finished the job in clinical fashion, racing away to a 25-ball 50 - the fastest so far in the tournament. West Indies' bowlers were clueless and were out of the chase sooner than it was completed. South Africa chased down the required 144 with 10 balls to spare.

Also, ICYMI: here's why Quinton de Kock




Back that lineup to get upwards of 110 in the back ten overs with three overs still to come from Maharaj/Markram/Pretorius & KG not in top form. 180 should be above par for this SA lineup without their best batter.

West Indies have made a slow start here in Dubai

Here we go. Play time!

JUST IN: The Cricket South Africa (CSA) Board on Monday evening unanimously agreed to issue a directive requiring all Proteas players to adopt a consistent and united stance against racism by "taking the knee" prior to the start of their remaining World Cup matches. Is that why De Kock was left out? We'll keep you updated.

Toss: South Africa opt to bowl.Big news coming in that QUINTON DE KOCK has been left out today. Reeza Hendricks comes in. For WI, Hayden Walsh Jr comes in for his first WC game. More on De Kock in a bit...

Pitch Report ft. Ian Bishop: "This surface here as we stand on it right now looks to have enough grass, not a lot of grass. It is cut very low and it is right across a very hard surface. It looks really firm and should be a good cricket surface. There won't be any dew that means the conditions will be equal. South Africa's pacers bowled a lot of back of a length against Australia and will look to do the same against West Indies."

Prelude:

When South Africa and the West Indies played for the first time in the world of cricket on March 5, 1992, West Indies' commentator Tony Cozier told the host broadcaster: "It is a very big game, just four or five years ago, when the West Indies rebel team... being ostracized from West Indies cricket... this today is absolutely unthinkable of becoming a reality."

Clive Rice, former South African captain, chipped in by saying, "When you feel everything falling into place, certainly in my career you dreamt of this situation."

For the record, South Africa won that 50-over World Cup game by 64 runs, but the significance of the match was unprecedented.

More than 29 years later, the two sides are set to lock horns in another World Cup, albeit in the shortest format. It is a format where the West Indies have found success having won a couple of world titles. However, they began the 2021 T20 World Cup on the wrong note, hurtling to just 55 all out versus England and ended up losing the game.

The likes of Pollard, Russell, Gayle and Hetmyer have to find their mojo with the bat to make an impact. On a positive note, Akeal Hossain bowled with skill and nous versus England.

On the other hand, South Africa entered the tournament as dark horses. A couple of wins in the warm-up matches helped to boost their confidence but just like the West Indies, South Africa slipped to a loss in their opening fixture against Australia.

Who will come out on top in this crucial encounter in a tough group? We will have all the action in a while...

Move to top