South Africa take on defending champions West Indies in Match 18 of the 2021 T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

South Africa suffered a disappointing loss in their opening fixture against Australia. Batting first, the team scored only 118 runs but the bowling unit did quite well to take the game till the final over of the match, eventually losing by 5 wickets. A second consecutive loss will dent their semi-final aspirations.

On the other hand, West Indies suffered an embarrassing defeat and were completely blown away by England in their first game. They were bowled out for just 55 runs but did well with the ball and picked up 4 wickets. The West Indies batting line-up goes deep and will look to bounce back in the match.

 Match Details

• Game: South Africa vs. West Indies, Match 14
• Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
• Date & Time: Oct. 26, 2021, at 3:30 PM IST/2 PM Local

Probable Playing XI

South Africa

Quinton de Kock (WK), Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

West Indies

Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Kieron Pollard (C), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Ravi Rampaul, Obed McCoy, Akeal Hosein

Weather Report

The weather in Dubai is predicted to be hot and humid, with the temperature expected to be around 33 degrees during the match.

Pitch Report

Although the pitches in Dubai have traditionally favored pace bowlers, there has been ample help for the spinners this season. The batters have struggled to put up big scores consistently here, which has led to some close and exciting contests in the previous matches. The average score on this pitch during the Indian T20 League this season has been 157 runs.

Toss

The team batting second has won 8 of the last 10 matches played here as the pitch tends to get a little better to bat on in the second innings, Putting a total on the board is proving to be more difficult in Dubai. That being said, a first-innings score of around 170 runs can be a competitive one here.

Top Fantasy Picks

Wicketkeeper

• Quinton de Kock was dismissed bizarrely in the previous match against Australia, scoring just 7 runs. Although he isn't in the best of form at the moment, de Kock is one of the best openers with his attacking ability and has scored 3 fifties in the last three T20Is against the West Indies.

Batters

• Rassie van der Dussen has been impressive for South Africa in this format. In 2021, he made 216 runs in 10 T20I innings at a strike rate of 129.34. He will look to maximize the good scoring form he is in. 
• Evin Lewis has a reputation for hitting big sixes. He was dismissed for a poor shot for just 6 runs but remains the most in-form of the West Indies batters. He did well for Rajasthan in the recent matches, scoring 151 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 162.36.

All-rounder

• Aiden Markram was the only South African batter to cross the 30-run mark in the last match against Australia. He scored 40 runs from 36 balls, including 3 fours and 1 six. Moreover, he can be useful with his part-time off-spin bowling in the PowerPlay and middle overs. 

Bowlers

• Anrich Nortje made scoring difficult for the Australian batters with his exceptional fierce fast bowling. He picked up the crucial wickets of Aaron Finch and Steve Smith in the last game and went for just 21 runs in his 4 overs. Expect him to come hard at the West Indies batters here.
• Ravi Rampaul made his comeback in the West Indies team after a good showing in the Caribbean T20 League 2021. He was the highest wicket taker of the tournament, with 19 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 16.21. He took 1 for 14 in his 3 overs in the last match against England.

Howzat Dream Team 

• Wicketkeeper: Q de Kock
• Batters: R Van der Dussen, E Lewis, L Simmons
• All-rounders: R Chase, A Russell, A Markram
• Bowlers: T Shamsi, A Nortje, A Hosein, R Rampaul

• Captain: Q de Kock/T Shamsi
• Vice Captain: R Chase/R Rampaul

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the T20 World Cup. 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!