Fantasy 11 Tips: West Indies vs South Africa, 1st T20I Prediction, Team News, Captain, Vice-Captain, Toss, Venue Analysis

The West Indies are set to go head-to-head with South Africa in the first match of the three-game T20I series at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad tonight. The West Indies currently hold the fourth spot in the ICC T20I Rankings, with South Africa close behind at number 5. Rovman Powell will lead the West Indies team, while Aiden Markram will captain the South African squad.

LAST 5 MATCHES

WEST INDIES - W W L W L

SOUTH AFRICA - W W W W L

THE LIKELY PLAYING XIs FOR WEST INDIES & SOUTH AFRICA

West Indies will boast of the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell while the bowling will be led by Akeal Hosein. South Africa's batting line-up comprises Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs and Rassie van der Dussen amongst others.

WEST INDIES likely XI

Batters: Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford

Allrounders: Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Fabian Allen

Wicketkeeper: Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope

Bowlers: Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Obed McCoy

SOUTH AFRICA likely XI

Batters: Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith

Allrounders: Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder

Wicketkeeper: Donovan Ferreira

Bowlers: Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams, Kwena Maphaka

Statistical Performance (West Indies)1. ROVMAN POWELL

Rovman Powell is a powerhouse in T20I cricket with an aggregate of 1414 runs in 67 innings at a strike rate of 144.7. He has a strike rate of 158.7 in T20I cricket this year.

ROVMAN POWELL IN T20Is

INNINGS - 67

RUNS - 1414

AVERAGE - 25.25

STRIKE RATE - 144.7

50/100 - 6/1

2. NICHOLAS POORAN

Nicholas Pooran has an aggregate of 2076 runs in 87 innings at a scoring rate of 135.9 in T20I cricket. He is one of the most destructive middle-order batters in T20 cricket and has the ability to clear the ropes at will.

NICHOLAS POORAN IN T20Is

INNINGS - 87

RUNS - 2076

AVERAGE - 26.6

STRIKE RATE - 135.9

50/100 - 12/0

Players Who Can Make a Difference (West Indies)1. AKEAL HOSEIN

Akeal Hosein is very restrictive and has picked 48 wickets in 54 matches for the West Indies at an economy rate of 7.4. He bowls in the powerplay and will be crucial for the West Indies with the new ball.

2. ROMARIO SHEPHERD

Romario Shepherd is a fast-bowling all-rounder who has a strike rate of 145.2 in T20Is while also picking 40 wickets at a strike rate of 17.8.

Statistical Performance (South Africa)1. AIDEN MARKRAM

Aiden Markram is a terrific run-getter in T20I cricket with an aggregate of 1241 runs in just 44 innings at an average of 33.5 and strike rate of 143.6. He has a strike rate of 153.7 against the West Indies.

AIDEN MARKRAM IN T20Is

INNINGS - 44

RUNS - 1241

AVERAGE - 33.5

STRIKE RATE - 143.6

50/100 - 9/0

2. LUNGI NGIDI

Lungi Ngidi is an underrated bowler in the format and has bagged 62 wickets in just 42 innings at a brilliant strike rate of 13.4.

LUNGI NGIDI IN T20Is

INNINGS - 42

WICKETS - 62

STRIKE RATE - 13.4

ECONOMY - 9.3

AVERAGE - 20.9

Players Who Can Make a Difference (South Africa)1. DONOVAN FERREIRA

Donovan Ferreira has a reputation for hitting the long ball in T20 cricket and has a strike rate of 155.5 in all T20 cricket.

2. TRISTAN STUBBS

Tristan Stubbs is yet to showcase his batting prowess in T20I cricket but has a strike rate of 150.1 in all T20 cricket and can be devastating with the bat.

Venue and Pitch

The Brian Lara Stadium at Tarouba in Trinidad has hosted 9 T20Is with the team batting first coming out victorious in 4 of these encounters. The captain who has won the toss has elected to chase first in as many as seven matches, revealing that batting second is the preferred option at the venue. The team which has won the toss has won five matches for a win probability of 55.55%.

The average team total batting first at the venue is 128 while the average score chasing is 112. England blasted 267 for 3 against the West Indies at Tarouba in December, 2023 which is the highest team total in a contest between two major Test playing nations in T20I cricket and the fifth-highest overall.

The spinners have made as much of an impact as the pacers at the venue.

Head to Head Record

South Africa and West Indies have faced each other in 23 T20Is and the Proteas have a marginal edge with a 12-11 head to head record. However, West Indies have won four of the last 5 encounters between the two teams.

MATCH PREDICTION

West Indies start marginal favourites as they will benefit from the home conditions and also have a more destructive batting unit. It will be a clash between their batting and the South African bowling unit. West Indies have a 60% chance of winning the match.

FANTASY XI

Our fantasy XI includes Hetymer, Powell, van der Dussen, Stubbs and Rutherford as batters and Pooran and Ferriera as the wicket-keepers. The all-rounders will be Shepherd and Markram while the bowlers are Hosein and Ngidi. The reserve batter is Henricks, all-rounder is Mulder while the bowler is Williams. The captain is Pooran while the vice-captain is Markram.

Fantasy XI:

Wicketkeeper: Nicholas Pooran (C), Donovan Ferreira

Batters: Shimron Hetymer, Rovman Powell, Rassie van der Dussen, Tristan Stubbs, Sherfane Rutherford

Allrounders: Aiden Markram (VC), Romario Shepherd

Bowlers: Akeal Hosein, Lungi Ngidi

BACKUP PLAYERS:

BATTER – Reeza Hendricks

BOWLER – Lizaad Williams

ALL-ROUNDER – Wiaan Mulder

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