West Indies vs South Africa – 1st Test Match Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is West Indies vs South Africa taking place? Thursday, June 10th, 2021 – 15:00 (UK)
Where is West Indies vs South Africa taking place? Daren Sammy National Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
What is the expected weather for West Indies vs South Africa? 19-24c with sunshine forecast across all five days
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
South Africa beat West Indies by eight wickets.
THE TEAM NEWS
WEST INDIES
- West Indies return to test match action following their two-match series against Sri Lanka this past March-April in Antigua, which saw both tests finish in a draw
- Right arm fast bowler Jayden Seales has been named in the Windies’ provisional 17-man squad despite having played just one first class match in his career, whilst batters Shai Hope and Kieran Powell alongside all-rounder Roston Chase have all been recalled to the squad after missing out in the Sri Lanka series.
- Key players within the West Indies team head into this first test in good form following successful recent spells in county cricket such as captain and opening batter Kraigg Braithwaite and fast bowler Kemar Roach and this bodes well for the men in maroon with both expected to play a key role here.
SOUTH AFRICA
- This first test represents the start of a new era within South African cricket, with opening batter Dean Elgar set to captain the Proteas side for the first time since being given the job, a difficult task considering that South Africa currently sit seventh place in the official ICC Test test rankings.
- The tourists have named six uncapped players within their squad, with the likes of off-spinning all-rounder Prenelan Subrayen, middle order batter Keegan Petersen and left arm fast bowler Marco Jansen all called up for the first time, the latter having introduced himself to the cricketing world following his recent appearances in this year’s IPL for Mumbai Indians.
- Petersen is set to make his test debut here as South Africa look to improve what has been a significantly under performing batting line-up in recent test matches, with Rassie van der Dussen and vice captain Temba Bavuma completing the top order behind openers Elgar and Aiden Markram.
THE PREDICTION
This test series between West Indies and South Africa was originally set to take place between July and August in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the tour to be postponed, with West Indies travelling to England instead. Almost a year on and the two sides are finally set to lock horns for the first time in a test match since all the way back in January 2015. South Africa won that game, but have fallen greatly in the years that have followed in the red ball game and the Proteas will hope that this test series represents the beginning of an upward trajectory under new captain Dean Elgar. Whilst their bowling attack looks a very strong unit with the spin of Keshav Maharaj complementing the pace of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, the South African batting line-up looks extremely fragile.
West Indies meanwhile, enter this contest in good spirits with a number of their players having shown great form in red ball cricket this year. Kraigg Brathwaite’s side are unbeaten in their last four test matches and unlike South Africa, their batting looks stable and secure, which could make all the difference on what is expected to be a good batting surface with five days of sunshine forecasted. Whilst South African spin-bowler Maharaj could be afforded some turn as the match goes on and the pitch breaks up in the heat, he needs his teammates to give him some room to manoeuvre by putting a good first innings score on the board. Unfortunately though, when taking into account the struggles faced by the Proteas with the willow it would not be a surprise to see them blown away by a Windies pace attack led by the dangerous Kemar Roach, ultimately leading to the hosts dominating and eventually winning this first test.
