Hosts West Indies take on South Africa in the fifth and final T20 of the series at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada on Saturday afternoon. Both the teams have won two games each, making this the decider match of this series.

After losing two consecutive games, West Indies leveled the series up in the last match with a 21-run win, which saw them successfully defend a total of 167 after being put in to bat for the first time in the series. The eventually successful total was reached, thanks to the good work of opener Lendl Simmons and captain Pollard’s dashing knock. 

In the bowling department, both Andre Russell and Dwyane Bravo were brilliant in the final overs and picked up regular wickets.  With Jason Holder rested and Fabian Allen unavailable for this match due to injury, the team will be expecting a good show from the bowlers in this match.

South Africa lost an opportunity to win a T20 series against a very strong West Indies team. They were frustrated in the last match, as their batting order found themselves strangled by the West Indies bowlers, with wickets falling at regular intervals.

Shamsi and George Linde continued their good form with the ball in the series, picking up 4 wickets between them at a brilliant economy rate. On the other hand, the only bright spot with the bat was the hitting of Quinton de Kock, who continued his outstanding form and made the only meaningful contribution from the visitors' batting line-up.

With both teams evenly matched on paper and doing their best to punch out each other, it would be interesting to see which team emerges victorious in this close contest. Expect a cracking game of T20 cricket for one final time at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada on Saturday.

Match Details

• Match: West Indies vs. South Africa, 5th T20
• Venue: National Cricket Stadium, Grenada
• Date & Time: Jul. 3, 2021, at 2 PM IST/11:30 PM Local

Probable Playing XI

West Indies

Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Kieron Pollard (C), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Obed McCoy, Akeal Hosein, Fidel Edwards

South Africa

Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Bjorn Fortuin, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi

Weather and Pitch Report

The weather is expected to be mostly clear in Grenada, with occasional thunderstorms during the match. The temperature will be around 29 degrees during the game.

The pitch at the National Stadium in Grenada has produced good cricket in the series so far. While the pacers will get some movement early, the batters will be able to play their shots with ease. With the pitch likely to slow down as the match progresses, the spinners are expected to play a big role. The average first-innings score in the five T20Is played here has been 173 runs.

With the pitch expected to slow down considerably in the second innings, the captain winning the toss is likely to opt to bat first. The first-innings score of around 170 runs can be a competitive one on this surface.

Top Fantasy Picks

West Indies

• Lendl Simmons showed why he is a key player at the top of the order for the West Indies. After his run-a-ball 22 in the third game, he scored 47 runs from 34 balls in the fourth T20. He was aggressive during his time at the crease and looks set for a bigger inning here.
• Shimron Hetmyer replaced Andre Fletcher but is yet to have the same kind of impact in the series. He has scored just 24 in the two matches played, getting dismissed softly on both occasions. He is a powerful hitter of the white-ball and a match-winner in this format.
• Dwayne Bravo has used his years of experience and made the South African batters struggle for runs in the final overs. He is the leading wicket taker in this series, with 9 wickets in four matches at an average of 11.44 and best figures of 4 for 19, which came in the last game.

South Africa

• Quinton de Kock’s good run in the Caribbean continued as he notched up his 8th T20I half century. He scored 60 off 43 balls in the last match, making him the highest run scorer in this series. He has scored 195 runs in four matches at a brilliant strike rate of 141.3.
• Temba Bavuma has missed out on scoring in the last two games of the series. After starting the series well with 68 runs in the first two matches, he was dismissed for 1 and 7 in the third and fourth T20. The team will be looking for the captain to play a decisive knock in this decider.
• George Linde has blown hot and cold in this series so far. Opening the bowling in most of the games, he has either been brilliant or has been hit for runs. He has taken 5 wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 7.07 and bowled a good spell of 2 for 16 in the last match.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeeper: Q de Kock 
• Batsmen: L Simmons, S Hetmyer, T Bavuma, R van der Dussen 
• All-rounders: A Russell, G Linde
• Bowlers: O McCoy, D Bravo, K Rabada, T Shamsi 

• Captain: S Hetmyer/O McCoy
• Vice Captain: T Bavuma/G Linde

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your fantasy 11 and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!