South Africa Tour of West Indies (WI vs SA): When two of the best T20I teams clash, it surely offers some fireworks. South Africa and West Indies will be involved in one. If South Africa have Quinton de Kock, David Miller amongst others, West Indies boast a long list of power-hitters in Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Shimron Hetmyer amongst many others. But more than the individual displays, the five-match T20I series, beginning Saturday, will be the dress rehearsal for the ICC T20 World Cup.
As for the series’ worth, South Africa will look to bounce back from five consecutive series losses in T20Is while West Indies will aim to eke out their best combination before the ICC T20 World Cup in October. Hence, it will be an exciting series to look forward to. InsideSport takes a look at the five players to watch out for.
Quinton de Kock (South Africa): The former South Africa captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been Proteas’ mainstay in batting. His power-hitting abilities are unmatched on his days. Time and again, Quinton de Kock has proved that for Proteas and his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians. In his 1st T20I match of the year for South Africa, de Kock will aim to get going and prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup in style.
David Miller (South Africa): The middle-order Proteas batsman returned to form against Pakistan with a fantastic 85 not out in Lahore. In the ODIs, he scored a half-century before smashing a 43-ball 62 in the IPL. Returning from PSL 2021, where he slammed a 46-ball 73, David Miller will be confident of making the most of the series.
Kagiso Rabada (South Africa): After an underwhelming IPL 2021, Kagiso Rabada returned to international cricket with a bang, taking a five-wicket haul against West Indies in the 1st Test. Having regained his form, the South African speedster will look to continue the momentum against West Indies.
Andre Russell (West Indies): The West Indian all-rounder is perhaps the best T20 player of the current generation. The day his bat starts the talking, perhaps no bowler on Earth can counter his supreme power-hitting. But what he has lacked is consistency and he will aim to regain that ahead of ICC T20 World Cup and propel West Indies to series win against South Africa and Australia.
Kieron Pollard (West Indies): After struggling with the bat in the initial phase of the IPL, the West Indies T20 captain returned to form with a swashbuckling 34-ball 87 for Mumbai Indians. His power-hitting did not spare Lungi Ngidi either and he will once again be in the opponent dugout on Saturday. After a two-month rest, Pollard is raring to go again and the Proteas will have to watch out for him.
Editors pick
