West Indies vs South Africa, WI vs RSA, Today Match Prediction 18 June 2021

wi vs sa Match Prediction & Analysis

The second test match of the two-match Test series between West Indies and South Africa will be played at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia between 18 and 22 June. The Test will also be marked as the final Test of the World Test Championship 2019-2021 cycle. South Africa And West Indies are currently in 6th and 7th place respectively. The position will remain unchanged unless West Indies wins the Test.

South Africa won the first test of the series by an innings and 63 runs. Batting first West Indies were bowled out for 97. African Pacer Lungi Ngidi took a five-fer in the first innings. Though South Africa had a rocky start in the first innings, Aiden Makram stabilized the innings with 60 runs. Leaving Captaincy of the team resulted in favour of Quinton de Kock as he scored his 6th century after a gap of 10 Tests (His last century came against India in October 2019 at Visakhapatnam). De Kock remained not out on 141 runs with help of 12 boundaries and 7 sixes to give SA a lead of 225 runs against their opponents.

West Indies couldn’t put a fight in the second innings too. The hosts got cleared out for 162 runs to hand over an innings and 63 runs win to the visitors. Roston Chase remained the highest scorer for WI in both innings with 62 runs. Kagiso Rrabada took 5 wickets for 34 runs in the second innings. It was Rabada’s 10th five-fer and it came after a gap of 3 years & 3 months. The victory was special for the visitors as it was their first away win since 2017. SA lost 9 consecutive away Tests before winning the first Test of the series. Playing his 50th Test, Quinton de Kock became the second wicket-keeper from South Africa, after Mark Boucher, to score more than 3000 runs.

TEAMS PREVIEW

West Indies Preview

The hosts went as favourites in the first Test. But they were dealt with the blow in the first innings as they failed to score a three-digit figure. Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and elected to bat first, except Jason Holder stayed at the crease. The same was the case of the second innings where Roston Chase scored 62 runs but didn’t get any support from the other end. They never looked like the team which chased an unachievable target in Bangladesh or a team that stopped Sri Lanka. 

But they say that it is always dangerous to hurt the hosts in their den. West Indies has not lost the last two series. The last Test is like a final for them and a chance to end the WTC cycle on a higher note. WI has lost Nkrumah Bonner due to a concussion. It is not yet disclosed if he will play the second Test or not. Kieran Powell will be likely to continue in Bonner’s absence. Debutant Jaydon Seals impressed everyone with his bowling. He took 3 wickets - two of them being Makram and Peterson. He along with Kemar Roach & Jason Holder will be the key for WI to draw the series.

Key Players: Kraigg Brathwaite, Jason Holder, Roston Chase.

West Indies Predicted Playing XI:

Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Jermaine Blackwood (VC), Kieran Powell, Kyle Myres, Roston Chase, Jaydon Seals, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Kemar Roach, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel.

West Indies Actual Playing XI:

Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Shai Hope, Jermaine Blackwood, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Roston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Jayden Seales, Kraigg Brathwaite

South Africa Preview

South Africa will prefer to go unchanged in the second test. Skipper Dean Elgar couldn’t open his run account in the first Test. On a rare occasion, he became the 13th captain to win a Test without scoring a single run, a record he won’t like to repeat in the second. Makram will company his skipper at the top. SA gave a debut to Keegan Peterson and Kyle Verreynne. Though they did not contribute much with the bat, SA will continue with them to give them more exposure before the next World Test Championship cycle kicks in.

SA pacer trio Rabada-Ngidi-Nortje picked 18 wickets off 20 in the first Test. No doubt, the management will expect the same from the bowling department to win the series comfortably. One big reason behind SA’s victory was the sharp catches taken behind the wickets. SA took 13 catches from the 14 possible chances in the first Test - 7 of them were caught in slips. As CSA is looking to build a new team under Dean Elgar, these team efforts are showing a good sign in that direction.

Key Players: Dean Elgar, Aiden Makram, Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada

South Africa Predicted Playing XI:

Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Makram, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock (W), Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Peterson, Anrich Nortje, Luigi Ndidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.

South Africa Actual Playing XI:

Anrich Nortje, Dean Elgar, Keegan Petersen, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is flat and slow. The weather will be Cloudy on all days. The temperature will vary between 25°C to 30°C. Some showers are expected on the second and third day of the Test.

Venue Details

The venue for this match is Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia. It has a capacity of 15,000 spectators. Established in 2002, has already hosted 7 Tests. In 2016, it was renamed after the T20 World Cup 2016 winning captain Darren Sammy.

Toss: To Bat

It’s a batting wicket. In the 8 tests played so far on this ground, the team batting first has won 3 times while the team batting second has tasted victory once. The average first inning score is 374 which is 105 runs more than the averages of other innings. Therefore team winning the toss should bat first.