West Indies vs South Africa – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is West Indies vs South Africa taking place? Saturday 26th June, 2021 – 19:00 (UK)
Where is West Indies vs South Africa taking place? National Cricket Stadium, St. George’s
What is the expected weather for West Indies vs South Africa? 29c but rain is expected and could impact play
What channel is West Indies vs South Africa on? The match will be televised live on BT Sport in the UK
Where can I stream West Indies vs South Africa? BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match live via the BT Sport website and app
LAST MEETING
West Indies beat South Africa by 3 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
WEST INDIES
- West Indies will look to build on their last T20 series win over Sri Lanka but they face a much tougher task here as they take on South Africa and it will provide the hosts with a good idea of where they are at ahead of the T20 World Cup.
- There is little room for manoeuvre in the West Indies squad for this series with them naming just a 13-man squad but the pressure will be on Evin Lewis who retains his spot despite a poor series last time out.
- His place at the top of the order could come under threat from Andre Fletcher while the Windies could opt to pick Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard in the same side together for the first time in six years.
SOUTH AFRICA
- South Africa will hope to end their run without a series win in T20 internationals having failed to prevail in any of their last six outings but they will believe they can come out on top here.
- Temba Bavuma has been handed the captaincy and will take the reins for the first time in this opening match of the series where he looks set to open the batting at the top of the order alongside Quinton de Kock.
- Faf du Plessis is a big loss for the Proteas with Kyle Verreynne and Heinrich Klaasen battling it out for his spot in the side while there are a host of options in the bowling attack and that is an area they will look to take control of in this series.
THE PREDICTION
West Indies and South Africa will both believe that they can prevail
in what is an important series for the pair as preparations ramp up for
the T20 World Cup. The hosts overcame Sri Lanka in their most recent
series but for the tourists, they have it all to prove as they continue
to tinker with their side in a bid to find the right combinations within
their line-up. Their last series win came back in 2019 against Sri
Lanka and while they look quite well-matched with this West Indies side,
the hosts can get off to a strong start on home soil.
