ICC World Cup 2026 Super Eights: Unbeaten South Africa And West Indies Clash In Crucial Narendra Modi Stadium Showdown
· Free Press Journal
Two unbeaten sides will square off in the crucial Super Eights match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Thursday. The winner will qualify for the semifinal with four points and a better net run rate, and a game in hand.
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The game will be closely watched by the Indian think tank, as a West Indies win will take India's semifinal qualification hopes out of their hands, and a South African win will make their passage simple.
South Africa knows the conditions well, having played four of the five games here. They read the red soil pitch better against India, and their bowlers executed the plans well. But South African spinner Keshav Maharaj doesn’t see it as an advantage.
“It’s nice to not to travel, but from a pitch point of view, I think every game has been very different. So, I won’t see it as too much of an advantage,” he said at the pre-match press conference.
The West Indies have played all their games in Mumbai and Kolkata, and this will be their first game here. Mumbai also has red soil, so the West Indies would like to adapt quickly to the conditions here. They have been a revelation in the tournament and are almost repeating the performance of the 2016 T20 World Cup, when they went on to win the second title after beating England in Kolkata in the final. Darren Sammy was the captain then, and now he is there to inspire the team as head coach.
The Caribbean side came here after a 2-1 series loss to South Africa. and plenty of problems. Before that, they lost the T20I series to Afghanistan, New Zealand, Nepal, Pakistan, Australia, and England. However, with the T20I World Cup, they have brought up their A game and are on a roll, having won five matches in a row, including their stunning 107-run victory against Zimbabwe in the Super Eight game at the Wankhede Stadium. They also beat England in the initial stages at the same venue.
South Africa also lost a bilateral T20I series to India home and away, before beating West Indies 2-1. They, however, lifted their game to beat Afghanistan here after two super overs and beat New Zealand here before trouncing defending champions India in the first Super Eights game here on Sunday.
Skipper Aiden Markram has got runs at the top, while his opening partner Quinton de Kock will be hungry for a big one. Ryan Rickelton has also chipped in with some runs. David Miller and Dewald Brevis have been aggressive options in the middle-order, and both showed that they can also consolidate as well in the game against India with a 97-run stand. Tristan Stubbs has finished well with all-rounders Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch also good enough to use the long handle.
Jansen and Kagiso Rabada are their pace batteries. Jansen has taken crucial wickets, but Rabada would like to regain his strike force status. Lungi Ngidi has been a revelation with his variations. Maharaj offers a left-arm spin bowling option, and Markram will be handy with his off-spinners. South Africa also has an extra spinning option in George Linde and express pace in Anrich Nortje to test the West Indies batter. Neither featured in the previous game.
ICC Reprimands Pakistan Batter For Code Of Conduct Breach; Here's What HappenedWest Indies spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie have exploited the conditions well, and Roston Chase has given them good support. Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, and Shamar Joseph are the seam bowling options.
Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, and Sherfane Rutherford are power hitters, and all of them have been in good form. Skipper Shai Hope has also scored runs at the top.
Squads:
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs.
West Indies: Shai Hope (C), Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Shamar Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Johnson Charles, Romario Shepherd, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales.