There were two different games
played during the opening T20 in Cape Town: the one by Chris Gayle and then the one by everyone else.
Gayle's extraordinary display of striking, which included a sequence of 52 off
11 balls, meant even another West Indies collapse was not terminal this time.
And if Gayle can hit them a long way at Newlands, there had better
be a good supply of spare balls at the Wanderers where the higher altitude
means sixes can fly. It would seem, on the evidence of the first match, that
South Africa's main challenge - with their fairly inexperienced attack - is
quelling Gayle although this is one of the stronger West Indies line-ups
available.
The slightly scary prospect for
South Africa is that Johannesburg was the venue for another of Gayle's famous
T20 onslaughts, his 117 off 57 balls during
the opening match of the inaugural World T20 in 2007 - although, remarkably, it
came in defeat as the home side chased down 206 with plenty of time to spare.
Faf du Plessis conceded his team were second favourites before
this series and, whether or not that was an attempt to transfer the pressure
back onto West Indies, the evidence of the opening game supports that view. The
Powerplays were not good for South Africa; with the bat they only managed 35
for 2 and then they were hammered to the tune of 78 for none by Gayle.
Form
guide
South Africa LLLWL
West Indies WWLLW
West Indies WWLLW
In
the spotlight
It has been an interesting few weeks
for Imran Tahir. Recalled
and dropped from the Test side in the space of two matches, a domestic
suspension for a clash
with umpires but then retaining his position as the team's premier one-day
spinner. His returns at Newlands showed why he remains a key player with the
white ball and it is important for South Africa that Tahir's confidence stays
high for the challenges of the next few months.
It was all right on the night for
West Indies after Gayle's display, but their middle order gave
cause for concern as they became lazy with the target in sight. A wobble of 4
for 17 made the end more tense than it should have been and while, perhaps, too
much should not be written into it given the state of the match some greater
composure would not go amiss.
Team
news
South Africa may consider tweaking their pace attack. Marchant de
Lange is part of the squad and could replace Kagiso Rabada who bore the brunt
of Gayle. Justin Ontong, acting as cover for JP Duminy who remains unavailable,
is an option if any tinkering to the batting is wanted.
There would appear to be little need for West Indies to make any
changes. However, they will want to be careful not to put all their eggs in the
Gayle-shaped basket. Bravo and Pollard, reportedly not in the World Cup squad,
should be eager to make a point or two.
West Indies (possible) 1
Dwayne Smith, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Kieron
Pollard, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Jason
Holder, 10 Ashley Nurse, 11 Sheldon Cottrell
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