All or Nothing in Ahmedabad as West Indies Take on South Africa

In Ahmedabad, however, the threat of elimination from the tournament is far greater in Group 1, where West Indies and South Africa both await a battle in the only match in the tournament between two teams that have yet to lose. Even when these two teams finish beating the living daylights out of each other, they may not know after they win whether they have progressed to the knockout stage.

Regarding the West Indies, they must win this match at all costs. They have established a solid benchmark by defeating Zimbabwe by 107 runs on Monday, and they have gained a significant NRR boost from the outcome of that game. Additionally, they will face a very strong Indian team, who will be looking to take full advantage of their own situation, in the final Super Eight match on Sunday. Therefore, if this match is the last chance for either team to advance to the next stage, then it would be wise for both teams to deliver the final blow in this match.

The West Indies certainly have the skills, momentum, and focus to defeat South Africa; however, South Africa also can defeat the West Indies. Surprisingly, both teams have played a very similar style of cricket throughout the tournament, and they have done so decisively. The highlight of this tournament thus far has been Shimron Hetmyer’s blistering innings of 85 runs off of just 34 balls against Zimbabwe, which epitomized the aggressive style of play that both teams have exhibited to date. Furthermore, the same style of play was prevalent during the West Indies’ win over England when they hit an astounding 13 sixes to only six for England.

South Africa has not shied away from any challenges either. After taking Jasprit Bumrah’s wickets at the previous match in Barbados, India probably thought they were going to be victorious after only losing 3 batters for 20 runs after 4 overs in the same place; however, little did they know about Dewald Brevis, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs’s success at the “top" of the order who ultimately delivered a score of 187 (at the end of their innings) to Marco Jansen that proved more than enough runs to defend. South Africa will all but guarantee a Semi-Final with a win against India tomorrow, unless India were to get “swept” by all 3 other teams in the Super 8.

To win on Thursday, it will additionally require the continuous bravery shown by the players. On a slightly different level, it will be exciting to see how much excitement each player will create if playing in a high-pressure situation at this stage of the tournament. However, on a more realistic level, I believe that all 3 teams, which would realistically have the best chance of winning this tournament, due to all of the teams being involved, were rolled into the same size swimming pool. The “risk" for the outcome of a match at the Narendra Modi Stadium is most certainly either "sink" orto be “sunk”.

Marco Jansen and Shimron Hetmyer in Spotlight

Marco Jansen has been an impressive wicket-taker over his last two matches, picking up 11 wickets, including eight in his last two outings against New Zealand and India at an average of 12.18. He has been able to prove himself on the same pitch that he will play on again against India. In fact, all five of his dismissals during the power play came against these two teams: three vs NZ; neither team used his pace and bounce effectively during the middle of those innings (as per their respective innings); two vs India; however, Jansen never gave in any opportunity to regroup after bowling out Tilak Varma off his very first ball. All teams in this competition need a left-arm seamer who can create problems for opposing batsmen, and Jansen possesses a combination of distance, delivery mechanics, and trajectory that makes him one of the top contenders in the competition.