The State of Play
It’s time to get serious in the 2024 T20 World Cup and the West Indies know nothing but a win against South Africa will do if they are to make the semi-finals.
They cannot rely on England’s result against the USA and will want to get the job done themselves in the final Group B Super Eight match.
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Both the Windies and Three Lions sit on two points and should they both win their remaining match, it will go down to who has the better net run rate.
At the moment that lies in the West Indies’ favour, but England play their match against the USA before, so they will have the chance to change that.
The Men in Maroon breezed past the USA in the last outing, catching their total of 128 after just 10.5 overs having lost just one wicket.
Shai Hope was recalled to the side following an injury to Brandon King and left most spectators with their mouths hanging open as he hit 82 from just 39 balls.
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It was a truly magnificent innings from the 30-year-old who surely must start again when the West Indies face South Africa.
Nicholas Pooran’s 27 was also impressive but largely overshadowed by his team-mate and it did not take long for the Windies to finish the match with some superb bowling.
Andre Russell and Roston Chase both took three wickets and gave up a total of 50 runs, which went a long way to boosting their net run rate in what could ultimately send them through to the knockout stages.
After the win, Chase delivered a rallying call to his team.
He said: “It is our destiny and our goal to win this World Cup.
“We want teams to know they have to beat us to win this World Cup.”
South Africa are one of the teams Chase was talking about but they will fancy their chances.
They played out a thriller against England last time out and dented their progression chances in the process.
Exceptional performances have seen new records created at the Men’s #T20WorldCup 2024 🤩
More ⬇https://t.co/w4KvS7gUtf
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 22, 2024
The West Indies will be thankful for that but the Proteas will not be looking to do them another favour when they face them on Monday morning.
Quinton de Kock was the man of the moment against England, scoring 65 runs from 38 balls, while team-mate David Miller hit 43 from 28.
They managed to set a score of 163 from all 20 overs and halted their opponents at 156 for the same loss of six wickets.
Captain Aiden Markham praised his team for their performance and says they are getting closer to the level they need to be to win the T20 World Cup.
He said: “We are getting closer to the complete game.
“We are not there yet but we are on the right track.
“We have trust in each guy on the day that they can put in a performance.
“We are not looking too deeply, just letting them express themselves.”
Expected line-ups
West Indies: Hope, Charles, Pooran (wk), Powell (c), Russell, Rutherford, Shepherd, Chase, Hosein, Joseph, Motie
South Africa: De Kock (wk), Hendricks, Markram (c), Miller, Klaasen, Stubbs, Jansen, Maharaj, Rabada, Nortje, Shamsi
West Indies kept their #T20WorldCup semi-final hopes alive with a massive net run rate-boosting win over USA 👏
➡ https://t.co/x04NZWpKxT pic.twitter.com/h0IRR7FUuU
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 22, 2024
How to watch
Sky have the rights to show the T20 World Cup to UK viewers in 2024 and will broadcast every game live. Coverage gets underway on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 1am UK time on Monday morning.
In India, the games can be streamed on Disney + Hotstar app and website. They are also available across the Star Sports Network.
Prediction
You could get away with flipping a coin and choosing your victor for this one, such is the fine margin between the two teams.
South Africa will be buoyed by their win over England and they can now really start dreaming about the title.
But the West Indies need to win if they are to make the semi-finals and it all rests on whether they can lock in for the big moment.
We are going for a very close South Africa win in this one.
