Tag: South Africa

Cricket: South Africa welcome back stars ahead of ODI series

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The Twenty20 series scheduling was a little puzzling on account of the World Cup beginning in less than a month.  Sure, the demographic is different and presents a gate-taking opportunity for the hosts (and ICC), but to ensure the highest quality of cricket come the World Cup you would forgive organisers for foregoing T20 cricket until afterwards.

Nevertheless, the play time is over.  Coaches can devise game plans; iron out the kinks.  Players can get down to nailing their World Cup spots down.

The West Indies can complete a series without walking out too, after players association negotiations ruined their last ODI series in India.

The Last Time These Two Met

These two haven’t played too much one day cricket against each other of late.  The last series was in 2010, and the last match – a tie in the 2013 World Cup in Cardiff.  We can’t use historical form as guide then, so we’ll use the just finished T20 series as an indication that this one will be close.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Rilee Rossouw, 3 Faf du Plessis 4 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 5 JP Duminy 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Miller, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

Almost back to a full strength line up after resting a number of stars during the T20 series.  Only Quinton de Kock is unavailable so Rilee Russouw gets an opportunity to open up in his absence.  de Kock’s absence also means both Miller and Behardien play in the middle order, while AB de Villiers will take the gloves.

West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle/Lendl Simmons, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Leon Johnson, 5 Andre Russell, 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Sheldon Cottrell 

The West Indies are missing both Bravo’s (one of them permanently), and Kieron Pollard, so we assume they’ll need to strengthen the batting line-up with Leon Johnson or Lendl Simmons.  Both might play if Chris Gayle is given another day off.  He is training again after being rested for the final T20 but it’s understandable if the West Indies manage his workload heading into a major tournament.

The Key Players

JP Duminy – Chronic knee problems have badly impacted on Duminy’s ability to forge a lasting legacy in international cricket; a result that seems scarcely believable after his start to domestic and international cricket.  With the World Cup just around the corner and Duminy finally fit, now is the opportunity to turn that around and help his side win an overdue World Cup.  Tonight’s series opener is the perfect time to start the preparations.

Marlon Samuels – For all the talk about Chris Gayle there’s another chap in the West Indies side who does just as much for his team.  Marlon Samuels (when his attitude permits) is a massvie contributor in all three formats of the game.  Before his failure in the final T20 match, his scores in all matches were 33, 17, 101, 43, 74, 41, and 60, illustrating his importance to the side.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.35

West Indies – $3.20

*Courtesy of Tom Waterhouse.

The Prediction

de Villers believes his side is the best in the world.  He was quoted as saying “I still feel we will be the best team at the World Cup and I can’t wait to go there.”  Who are we to disagree?  South Africa to win.

 

Cricket: Gayle, West Indies eye series sweep

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Chris Gayle has launched a number of attacks over the past few days.  First, a scintillating record beating fifty in game one.  Then came even better 90 in which he hit 8 sixes and equaled the record for the total number of sixes hit in international T20 cricket.  To cap it off, his most scathing attack wad directed at the WICB who refused to pick Dwayne Bravo and Pollard in the West Indies World Cup squad.  Kingsmead could be on the receiving end of the fourth.

To prevent that, South Africa must find a way to quell Gayle.  However, even if they do, they still have the rest of the West Indies line up to contend with, which is not an easy prospect for a side playing with as much confidence as they are.  The best bet is to play in the disciplined way they know how and by winning the smaller battles first – the fielding, the catching, the 1%’ers.

The Last Time These Two Met

44 fours and 24 sixes tells the story.  The Wanderers record breaker was a match of epic proportions.  Remarkably the West Indies chased down 232 with four wicket and four balls to spare; exactly the same winning margin as at Newlands. Chris Gayle, as our preview predicted, was again the star of the show bludgeoning 90 off 41 balls and partnering with Marlon Samuels (60 off 39) to cap off a memorable win.  The chase overshadowed South African captain Faf du Plessis’ special hundred, which he scored from just 46 balls.

For the record, with his century du Plessis became the eight international cricketer to have scored hundreds in all three formats.  The others are: Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Mahela Jayawardene, Martin Guptill and Ahmed Shehzad.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Morne van Wyk (wk), 2 Rilee Rossouw, 3 Farhaan Behardien, 4 David Miller, 5 Justin Ontong (capt), 6 Wayne Parnell, 7 David Wiese, 8 Kyle Abbott, 9 Kagiso Rabada/Aaron Phangiso, 10 Marchant de Lange, 11 Imran Tahir

Justin Ontong steps in to captain the side after du Plessis was given the day off.

West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Kieron Pollard, 5 Andre Russell, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Jason Holder, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

There may be a temptation to try Carlos Brathwaite or Andre Fletche, but we sense West Indies will opt for momentum and chase the series sweep.

The Key Players

Imran Tahir – The energy that this man displays when celebrating wickets defies his age, and although he didn’t get to do so during game two, he was the only bowler who went for less than 8 runs an over.  Tahir will play a key role again in stifling the West Indies run rate with his flat turners, and he’ll much prefer the Durban conditions to the batsman friendly altitude of Wanderers.

Another West Indies Player Chris Gayle – Just kidding.  Chris Gayle is the key again, obviously.  Two matches in the series and two rapid half centuries to the tall left-hander outline his importance to the West Indies.  He’s also voiced his disappointment at Pollard and Bravo missing out on World Cup selection, so we expect him to take his anger out on Kyle Abbot and the rest of the South African bowlers again.

The Odds*

South Africa – $2.02

West Indies – $1.78

*Courtesy of Luxbet.

The Prediction

There is a slight doubt hanging over the West Indies if Gayle doesn’t score runs.  How will they respond if their talisman fails?  Who will score the runs?  And for those that don’t think lightening can strike three times, South Africa’s odds look awfully enticing.

Having said that, we’re backing the West Indies for the whitewash.

Cricket: Gayle the key in second Twenty20

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It’s not often South Africa start any game of cricket in their own back yard as underdogs.  But that’s exactly how the bookies see game two after the Gayle storm in the first match of the series.  The Windies have rushed to the favourites tag for the Johannesburg encounter.  A tag that is rightly placed when you look through their talented team.

The altitude at Wanderers could see Gayle and his teammates hit the ball even further.  A scary prospect for the South African team given Gayle has a history of scoring runs at this ground.  A repeat of his World T20 effort in 2007 in which he scored 117 off 57 balls would put the series well and truly to bed.

The Last Time These Two Met

In game one Chris Gayle single handedly destroyed the South African chances with the fastest T20 fifty in his country’s history.  He bullied his way to 77 off 31 balls in a masterclass that featured 8 sixes and 23 off a Wayne Parnell over.  Gayle’s return buoyed his team and despite a lat wobble, got home with four wickets in hand and four balls to spare.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Morne van Wyk (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 Farhaan Behardien, 6 David Miller, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 David Wiese, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Marchant de Lange, 11 Imran Tahir

We featured Marchant de Lange in our preview for game one and he missed out.  He may get a run at the expense of young Rabada in one of the few expected changes.

West Indies (likely): 1 Dwayne Smith, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Jason Holder, 10 Ashley Nurse, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Probably no reason to make any changes to the side.  Although Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have missed out on World Cup selection so may not be used.  If they are, expect (angry) fireworks.

The Key Players

Rilee Rossouw – An excellent fifty at Newlands has helped solidify the hype on the young left hander that first cam about during his trip to Australia in November.  During the T20 and ODI series there he scored valuable runs in an attractive manner.  He must be pushing for Miller’s middle order place, or Duminy’s if he can’t get himself fit.  He’s the favourite to top score along with his captain Faf du Plessis.

Dwayne Smith – While all the attention was on Chris Gayle in the series opener, Smith quietly (in comparison) went about his business, forging an excellent partnership with the former captain.  His work ended on 20, but he helped the West Indies get off to an incredible start that eventually sealed the result.  Smith is now an experienced T20 traveller in his own right with plenty of experience to boot.  He’s paying $5.00 to top score if you can consider any one other than Gayle.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.95

West Indies – $1.85

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Unibet Australia.

The Prediction

The nice thing about the West Indies side is that if Gayle doesn’t come off they still have the players to win the game.  Smith, Simmons, Pollard and Sammy can all change a game with bat and hand, and for those reasons we’re picking them to go back to back.

Cricket: WI hoping change of pace brings change of fortune

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With one eye on the World Cup, and one on the dodgy weather that has plagued the tour thus far, this T20 series isn’t getting a whole heap of attention.  That may be exactly what the West Indies need to be competitive and sneak a couple of wins ahead of the World Cup.

The Last Time These Two Met

Just one run separated the sides in 2010 when they last met.  Plenty has changed since the North Head match though; Chanderpaul and Sarwan were still playing for the West Indies; Smith and Botha for South Africa.  The overall record between the teams shows us that South Africa usually win but by a small margin. 

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Morne van Wyk (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks/Rilee Rossouw, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Farhaan Behardien, 5 David Miller, 6 David Wiese/Justin Ontong, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 David Wiese, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Marchant de Lange, 11 Imran Tahir

South Africa’s squad features a number of players who are not involved in their World Cup campaign, meaning there is an element of future planning evident in the team.  A prime example of that is U19 World Cup winner Kagiso Rabada.  Of the players who have made the 15, there will be plenty of interest in Duminy’s form and fitness, as well as eyes on Miller and Behardien as they look to build some form for the February tournament.

West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Lendl Simmons, 4 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Andre Russell, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Chris Gayle is the name that jumps out of the reinforcements that have been summoned to make West Indies more competitive in the T20 series.  After sitting out the test series because of a back complaint, the destructive opener will be looking to build on some exciting form he showed for the Lions in South Africa’s domestic T20 tournament.  Smith, Pollard, Sammy and Russell are the other new faces.

The Key Players

Marchant de Lange – Once destined to play a huge amount of games for South Africa the genuine quick bowler has had his career stall thanks to injury and form concerns.  His numbers rest at just 2 tests, 2 ODI’s, and 3 T20 games.  That’s too few for someone who took seven wickets in his first effort in test cricket.  South Africa will be hoping he can lead the attack in the absence of some of the names they hope de Lange will eventually replace in the test team.

Chris Gayle – The veteran of 193 T20 games owns an incredible record – 14 centuries in all T20 cricket, including a best of 175* (which is, amazingly, better than his highest ODI score).  He’s made a name for himself in the format and has a list of franchises he’s played for longer than most shopping lists.  Expect fireworks from Gayle against the relatively inexperienced opposition attack. 

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.80

West Indies – $2.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Ladbrokes Australia.

The Prediction

South Africa’s willingness to rest players may leave them exposed in this series, especially given their form in Australia in the format was less than convincing.  I really like West Indies chances here.  Ladbrokes Australia are offering good money on the win, and good money on the tourists to be ahead after 1 and 6 overs too.

Cricket: Newlands hosts New Year battle

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Rain may have ruined the second test between these two, however, it hasn’t ruined the series for the West Indians though who survived a series loss thanks to the frequent rain.  Now at just 1-0 down they could do the unthinkable and sneak a series draw against one of the best around.  The green pitch at Newlands should aid the South African team’s cause and a win to them is the most foreseeable result, for bookmakers and cricket experts.

The Last Time These Two Met

It rained centuries.  And it just rained.  So much so that a result wasn’t possible in Port Elizabeth.  The game worked well for the career statistics of the four centurions (Elgar, du Plessis, Brathwaite, and Samuels), but it wouldn’t have made too many punters pleased.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Alviro Petersen, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Hashim Amla (capt), 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Stiaan van Zyl, 7 Temba Bavuma, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir/Simon Harmer

Simon Harmer is an uncapped 25 year off-spinner who will be pushing the inconsistent Imran Tahir for a place in the side.  Other than his potential inclusion, the team should be unchanged giving van Zyl and Bavuma another chance to shine.

West Indies (likely): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Shannon Gabriel, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Kenroy Peters 

Numbers 3 and 7 are the big concerns as Johnson, Blackwood and Holder have all struggled for runs.  If the West Indies are tempted to make changes they’ll make them in this positions.

The Key Players

Hashim Amla – The South African captain finally gets a chance to lead his side at the intensely patriotic Newlands crowd.  The last time Newlands saw the South African test side was Graeme Smith’s last in charge so they now get to welcome a new captain – one who failed in the second test and will be looking to make up for it here.

Jason Holder – Another newly appointed captain is Jason Holder.  After only 23 ODI games, Holder was appointed ODI captain in a surprising move by the WICB.  At just 23-years-old it’s a big test for the young all-rounder, but some wickets in runs in this match would make everyone a little bit more comfortable with the promotion.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.22

Draw – $5

West Indies – $15.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Ladbrokes Australia.

The Prediction

No matter how appetising the draw money is looking, South Africa will win.  Steyn, Morkel and Philander are just too good for the out of for West Indies batting lineup.  There has been, and there could be again, some money to be made on tipping the first wicket partnership of the West Indies team outperforming their South African counterparts so look out for that.

Cricket: Fifth day washout saves West Indies blushes

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The West Indies stayed alive in their test series against South Africa courtesy of a rain-filled second test.  Only the first innings for both sides were possible in a game that was completely dominated by the hosts yet again.

After amassing 417/8 dec. the home side had reduced the West Indies to just 275/9 before shortened each of the day’s play.  Dale Steyn provided fireworks of the batting kind (and not the bowling kind as we assumed) to take the South African total beyond reach after the West indies had bravely fought back after Dean Elgar (121) and Faf du Plessis (103) hundreds.  Steyn smashed 58 from 28 balls and did the bulk of his scoring in boundaries (6 x 4’s, 5 x 6’s = 54 runs in boundaries), ensuring South Africa’s stranglehold on the series remained.

Once more, the West Indies showed some fight.  Centuries to Kriagg Brathwaite (106) and Marlon Samuels (101) set the tone, but weren’t large enough to get the West Indies close to their opponents total.  Mind you it was a pair of efforts that were much better than their peers who could not register meaningful totals, as Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir got amongst the wickets.

The series continues in Cape Town on January 2.  Tom Waterhouse is giving the West Indies about as much chance of winning as they tortoise in a hare race.  They have the West indies at $13, with South Africa favourites at $1.22 and a draw looking appetising at $5.50.  If Cape Town gets more rain and the West Indies batsman more time in the middle the draw could be a sensible option.  We;ll preview gam three in more detail in a coupe of days time.

Hopefully the West Indies use that time to practice.

West Indies 275 for 9 (Brathwaite 106, Samuels 101, Morkel 4-69) drew with South Africa417 for 8 dec (Elgar 121, du Plessis 103, Steyn 58)