NEW DELHI: South Africa, undefeated in the tournament thus far, will face a determined USA in their opening Super Eight match of the T20 World Cup at North Sound in Antigua on Wednesday.
The Proteas' bowlers have shouldered the responsibility in all four games, while their world-class batters have yet to showcase their full potential.
Despite possessing power-hitters like Quinton de Kock, Henriech Klassen, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller, South Africa has not surpassed the 120-run mark in any of their matches played on the challenging New York and Kingstown tracks. The top order, consisting of De Kock, Reeze Hendricks, and captain Aiden Markram, may feel the pressure to deliver, according to PTI.
With defending champions England and hosts West Indies also in Group 2, South Africa cannot afford to underestimate USA, especially after surviving a close call against Nepal in their previous game. They aim to commence the Super Eight stage with a victory.
Anrich Nortje, who was a concern for South Africa prior to the World Cup due to his poor form, has turned things around and is currently the joint second-leading wicket-taker with nine scalps.
Nortje and fellow pacer Ottneil Baartman have formed a formidable pair, while Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada are eager to trouble the inexperienced USA batters.
USA, a diverse team consisting of players from various countries, is enjoying a dream run in their debut appearance, having qualified for the Super Eights.
They have played an aggressive brand of cricket and will be monitoring the fitness of skipper Monank Patel, who missed the match against India and was set to sit out against Ireland due to a niggle.
The spirited bunch is ready to cause another upset after defeating former champions Pakistan in the league stage, despite the daunting task ahead.
"Definitely looking forward to the challenge (of Super Eight) for sure. Over the last couple of weeks, we've shown that obviously we could definitely compete and beat some of the full member nations," USA vice-captain Aaron Jones had said last week.
Teams (From):
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs
USA: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir. Reserve Players: Gajanand Singh, Juanoy Drysdale, Yasir Mohammad
Match starts at 8 PM IST
