🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: S8 - Match 50: WI vs SA @6AM IST🏏

🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: S8 - Match 50: WI vs SA in Antigua🏏

After 49 enthralling games, the action is now heading towards the business end in the T20 World Cup 2024 as West Indies and South Africa will take on each other in Match 50 on Sunday, June 23 (Monday, June 24 IST) at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua. Both teams are coming into the fixture on the back of a win in their previous matches.

South Africa have been on an unbeaten run so far in the tournament with five back-to-back wins. They’ve almost confirmed their spot in the semi-final and will need to avoid a defeat by a certain margin against the West Indies to advance through to the next stage. However, the Aiden Markram-led side will not be willing to let go of their winning momentum and will aim to head into the semi final on a winning note.

On the other hand, West Indies stormed into Super 8 after topping Group C by winning all of their four fixtures. However, they got their first setback of the tournament against England who hammered them by eight wickets in their first Super 8 fixture.

The Rovman Powell-led side made a great comeback in the very next game by defeating USA by nine wickets to revive their campaign. Heading into their last fixture, West Indies will know what they will have to do to ensure their semi final qualification after the result of the USA and England fixture. Hence, the hosts will aim for another emphatic win over the Proteas to seal their spot in top four.

In the spotlight - Alzarri Joseph and Marco Jansen

Alzarri Joseph has the same number of tournament wickets as Anrich Nortje - 11 - at a slightly higher average (13.81 compared to 12.90) but a slightly better strike rate. Joseph has taken a wicket once every 11 balls at the tournament - and Nortje once every 13 balls - and is rightly seen as West Indies' biggest threat with the ball.

Joseph has only played two T20Is against South Africa, and in the last one took a series-winning 5 for 40 to seal a seven-run win. Four of the five batters Joseph dismissed in that match - Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen - have been part of South Africa's XI in every game at the World Cup thus far. On his home ground, Antigua, he will have even more motivation to attempt to repeat the feat.

With Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Ottneil Baartman all shining at different stages of the competition, Marco Jansen has flown under the radar despite being an important part of South Africa's progress. The economy rate of 5.90 includes bowling mostly in the powerplay and is South Africa's second-lowest after Baartman (though Jansen has played one more game). Though he has gone wicketless in all but one match, Jansen has been match-winning in other ways. Against England, he was tasked with the game's penultimate over and conceded just seven runs, leaving Nortje 13 to defend. Crucially, he has adapted to conditions when some of his team-mates have not, and he is yet to be given a chance to show what he can do with the bat.

Team news - West Indies have choices to make

Shai Hope's unbeaten 39-ball 82 opening the batting against USA may mean West Indies do not have immediate cause to bring in Kyle Mayers, who has replaced the injured Brandon King in their squad. It's an interesting call to make because Mayers has the advantage of knowing the South African players well, from his time at the SA20, and of being West Indies' second-leading run-scorer in the pre-World Cup series played against South Africa last month. Their other decision will be in the make-up of the bowling unit - whether to include an extra seamer in Romario Shepherd or stick to the offspin of Roston Chase.

West Indies (probable): 1 Shai Hope/Kyle Mayers, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Rovman Powell (capt), 5 Andre Russell, 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Romario Shepherd/Roston Chase, 8 Obed McCoy, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Gudakesh Motie

The last time South Africa played in Antigua, they opted for two spinners and left Baartman out, and may consider that combination again. However, Tabraiz Shamsi was expensive against USA, which could open the door for the other left-arm spinner in the squad: Bjorn Fortuin, who has not had a game thus far. It's more likely South Africa will stick to what they like best, with an unchanged batting line-up and one of Shamsi or Baartman.

South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram (capt), 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi/Ottneil Baartman, 11 Anrich Nortje

Pitch and conditions

From South Africa's match against USAearlier in the week, North Sound seemed good for run-scoring. That was a day game and this is a night fixture, though, so there may be a slight difference. There have been two night games played at this venue in the tournament: Australia chased down 73 against Namibia inside six overs and scored 100 runs inside 12 overs when they beat Bangladesh in a rain-affected game on Friday. Rain, in fact, may be the biggest concern for the teams with the forecast not great during the day on Sunday, but the precipitation probability decreases to 17% in the evening.

Stats and trivia

• The head-to-head record between these two teams is equal: Played 22; West Indies won 11; South Africa won 11. In T20 World Cups, they have met four times, and South Africa have won three. West Indies' only victory came in 2016
• There have only been three totals of over 200 at the T20 World Cup so far and West Indies have one of them. They scored the highest total of the tournament with their 218 against Afghanistan in the group stage. South Africa have batted first four times in six matches and average 146
• Nicholas Pooran is the tournament's top run-scorer at the moment with 227 runs; Quinton de Kock is in third place, 40 runs behind

Probable Best Performers of the match

Probable Best Batter: Nicholas Pooran 

Nicholas Pooran will be well-versed with conditions in Antigua, having played plenty of cricket. The southpaw bats at the number three position and the nerves of facing the initial overs would be subdued and second-change bowlers might cater to his style. He batted at a strike rate of 225 against USA in Barbados and the Caribbean will carry the same momentum. 

Probable Best Bowler: Anrich Nortje 

Anrich Nortje had a miserable outing in IPL 2024, conceding runs at a rate of more than 10 an over. But the pacer is the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup with 11 scalps to his name. He has also picked a four-fer in the process and his average of 12.91 could not be overlooked. He could be a valuable asset for the Proteas against West Indies.

Team batting first to win the match

Scenario 1

West Indies win the toss and opt to bat first

Powerplay Score: 45-55

First Innings Score: 175-185 

West Indies win the match

Scenario 2

South Africa win the toss and opt to bat first.

Powerplay Score: 40-50

First Innings Score: 170-180

South Africa win the match

Thanks for the tag Parm.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

In the maroon corner…backed by a partisan crowd, a fighter who does not really believe in taking it deep. Jabs often are replaced by heavy haymakers and if the opportunity presents itself, he'd rather finish off his opponent with a solitary punch. Today, though, he cannot get anything wrong. He must not get anything wrong. And that is because this is a winner-takes-all, loser-goes-home battle, where it no longer matters how the fight is won, as long as it is won.

Two teams with ambitions of global T20I supremacy. Two sides that will likely attack, attack and attack. And two adversaries who will look the other in the eye and dare them to take their moment away from them. All while knowing that only one of them will be left standing.

Hello and a warm welcome to the countless West Indian and South African fans, and to everyone tuning in to ESPNcricinfo's live coverage from around the world. It's time. Time for the virtual knockout before the actual knockouts. So, are you ready? I said, are you reaaaddddyyyyy?

In the green corner…unbeaten and unblemished, unfurling an adequate combination of jabs, straights, hooks and uppercuts. A fighter who has developed a habit of taking it to the last round, also fostering a knack of winning each time. Tricky conditions, defiant oppositions, adventures in different countries - nothing has fazed him. Yet.

South Africa and the West Indies have faced off four times in the men's T20 World Cup, with the Proteas leading 3-1 (more on it in Firdose Moonda's preview). Their first encounter was also the first-ever game at the men's T20 World Cup, where Herschelle Gibbs and Justin Kemp trumped Chris Gayle's sensational century. West Indies' solitary win, meanwhile, came in Nagpur in 2016, when Carlos Brathwaite held his nerve and sealed a low-scoring thriller with a final-over six off Kagiso Rabada.