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Windies will be hosting SA for the opening Test of their much-anticipated two-match series, starting Thursday at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia.
Proteas have arrived for their first bilateral series on Caribbean shores since 2010, with the two games scheduled in Gros Islet part of the two team’s final series in the inaugural World Test Championship cycle.
Originally included in the itinerary last year, the Test series had to be postponed and rescheduled due to hurdles posed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neither West Indies nor South Africa could make the WTC final after securing insufficient points in the nine-team league standings. Nevertheless, the two teams have a good opportunity to fine-tune their games through this series ahead of the next cycle of the WTC competition.
Key Players
South Africa’s newly-appointed Test captain Dean Elgar now has the chance to turn things around for his country in the game’s traditional format. What would help Elgar’s swift transition is the fact that he has been one of the most experienced players of the team. The veteran left-hand batsman is South Africa’s highest run-getter in the WTC, with 848 runs at an average of 44.63. His WTC tally includes two centuries and three half-centuries. Elgar will be hoping to lead from the front as South Africa strive to begin their new era on a good note.
In South Africa’s last Test series against Pakistan away from home, Aiden Markram emerged as one of the tourists’ bright spots in their otherwise disappointing 2-0 series whitewash. Markram, who has often faced question marks over his consistency and ability to counter foreign conditions, batted tremendously against Pakistan’s pacers and spinners in Karachi and Rawalpindi. He produced a fighting half-century in Karachi and backed it up with a fantastic century in Rawalpindi. He’ll be key to Proteas’ vulnerable batting unit against West Indies’ most threatening pace and spin attack in recent history.
With only 26 scalps from 13 innings at 34.11 runs per piece, South Africa’s ace speedster, Kagiso Rabada, will be feeling slightly disappointed about his performance since the start of the WTC cycle. Rabada will be determined to regain his form and rhythm against the Calypso Kings, who will surely be wary of his undoubted ability despite playing him in home terrain. Rabada is one of the world’s best contemporary Test match pacers, with 202 scalps to his name from 45 games at an average of just 23.36. Just 26-year-old, Rabada already boasts of such an impressive Test record, which includes as many as nine five-wicket hauls.
Like his SA counterpart, Dean Elgar, Kraigg Brathwaite is also very new to his post as West Indies’ full-time Test captain. The experienced opening batsman was elevated to the captaincy helm after leading the side to an inspiring series win in Bangladesh in the absence of Jason Holder, whom he ultimately replaced. Brathwaite may not have enjoyed the best of the WTC as a batsman but there is little doubt that his solidity at the top is crucial to West Indies’ chances. In his first series as a full-time Test skipper against Sri Lanka earlier in the year, Brathwaite ended as West Indies’ second-highest run-getter, including a century in Antigua.
The experienced West Indies quick Kemar Roach has been his team’s best performer with the ball in the WTC. Roach has taken the most number of wickets (30) in the league among the Caribbean boys while averaging a respectable 29.83. Roach, who has been quite lethal in home conditions with the semi-new red Dukes ball and surfaces offering some seam movement, will be entering the series versus South Africa with good rhythm under his belt. Roach was playing for Surrey recently in the County Championship in the UK and will be well prepared for the Proteas’ challenge.
Prediction
South Africa have historically enjoyed a wood over West Indies in the Caribbean, winning six and losing only two of their thirteen matches. Overall, the Proteas have won 18 of the 28 Tests against Calypso Kings with only three defeats.
However, West Indies will take a lot of confidence from their performances in recent times. They are not only placed ahead of South Africa in the WTC standings right now but have also pipped them in the ICC Test rankings.
Both the teams have a much stronger bowling unit than their batting unit at this stage of their progress. Thus, it may just come down to the batting depth and which team’s bowling covers up for its batting flaws a lot better.
South Africa does retain a stronger outlook than West Indies, who depend heavily on players to overcome their technical weaknesses and produce individual brilliance.
With the likes of Elgar, Markram, De Kock, Bavuma co-sharing the batting responsibility and helping Rabada, Nortje and Maharaj at their task, Proteas start the two-match series as slight favourites against the hosts.
