West Indies Tour of South Africa 2023: South Africa vs West Indies – 1st Test Preview and Updates

Cricket

South Africa will host the West Indies for a two-match Test series, with the first match scheduled for February 28th, 2023 at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Both teams have dropped out of contention for the ICC Test Championship 2023 final.

South Africa has lost two consecutive Test series against England and Australia. They have not won any of the last five tests they have played. On the other hand, the West Indies defeated Zimbabwe in a two-match series.

Centurion’s pitch has historically favoured fast bowlers, which is why both teams have bolstered their pace attack for this series. It will be difficult for batters to score runs and form partnerships on this pitch against fast bowlers. The South African team hopes to win the series in front of their home crowd.

The 1^st Test between South Africa vs West Indies will take place on February 28th, 2023 at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

Match Details to Note

Match: South Africa vs West Indies, 1^st Test, West Indies Tour of South Africa 2023

Date: February 28, 2023 (Tuesday)

Time: 1:30 PM IST

Venue: SuperSport Park, Centurion

South Africa vs West Indies

South Africa (Match Odds – 1.15):

Preview:

After losing to Australia in the previous test series, the South African team is looking forward to beating the West Indies at home. The first test of West Indies’ South African tour will begin on Tuesday at Centurian.

South Africa’s batters struggled throughout the series before the Australian attack. The team lost the first two test matches while drawing the third against Australia. Kagiso Rabada was the lone warrior in the bowling unit, putting pressure on the batters. In the series, he took 11 wickets at an average of 32.00.

South Africa has a strong track record at Centurian. The team’s batting lineup appears to be in good shape for the upcoming series against the West Indies. Captain Dean Elgar scored 445 runs in the previous ten tests, while Temba Bavuma scored 479 in the previous seven. The bowling unit is primarily dependent on pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.

The team appears to be well-balanced, with depth in both the batting and bowling units. All they need to do on Tuesday is execute plans well on the ground in front of the Caribbean side.

Full Squad:

Temba Bavuma (captain), Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton

Players to watch out for:

Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

Possible Playing XI:

Dean Elgar, Sarel Erwee, Heinrich Klaasen, Temba Bavuma (c), Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

West Indies (Match Odds – 5.50):

Preview:

The Caribbean team is in South Africa for a Test, ODI, and T20I series, the first of which begins on February 28th in Centurian. They are hoping to surprise the African unit in away conditions after defeating Zimbabwe in the previous series.

In the most recent series, Tagenarine Chanderpaul shone in the test format. He scored 258 runs in the final three innings to become the tenth West Indian to convert his maiden Test hundred into a double-ton. He and Captain Kraigg Brathwaite are the team’s two best batters for the upcoming series against South Africa.

Gudakesh Motie is a key bowler for the West Indies, having single-handedly dismantled Zimbabwe in the previous series, taking 19 wickets and earning Player of the Series honours. Kemar Roach, who has taken 23 wickets in the previous eight matches, will have to deliver against African batters on Centurian’s track.

West Indies have a good bowling attack for a tour to South Africa. They’ll try to keep the winning streak going when they face a home team in the first match on Tuesday.

Full Squad:

Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood (vc), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Akeem Jordan, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Devon Thomas

Players to watch out for:

Kraigg Brathwaite, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach

Possible Playing XI:

Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Kyle Mayers, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach

South Africa vs West Indies Head to Head

South Africa vs West Indies Head to Head Stats in Tests

	Matches Played	SA Won	WI Won	Draw	NR
Overall	30	20	3	7	0

South Africa vs West Indies Toss Prediction

So far, the ground has conducted 27 tests. The team that batted first has won four of the last five test matches. The winning captain usually bats first because the pitch favours bowlers in the second innings.

South Africa vs West Indies Pitch Report

This match will take place at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The stadium can hold 20,000 people and has hosted several international and domestic games.

The weather will be cloudy on game day, with a 20-30% chance of rain. The maximum and minimum temperatures will be 26°C and 12°C, respectively. Winds from the east are expected to gust to 10 to 15 km/h. The pitch here favours fielders, making it difficult for batters to deal with the pace.

South Africa vs West Indies Prediction

South Africa has the upper hand in the first test against the West Indies based on the strength of both units. Africa’s pace attack appears to be superior to the West Indies bowling unit. South Africa’s batting depth will also aid them in dealing with the West Indies bowling attack at Centurian. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

South Africa is the favourite to beat West Indies at the odds of 1.15.