The ODI series between South Africa and West Indies concludes on Tuesday when the two sides leave East London and head to Potchefstroom for the third and final match of the series, one which the home side have to win to claim a share of the spoils.
West Indies guaranteed their own share of the series when they won the second match on Saturday after the opening one was a non-starter due to the rain. Were West Indies to come out on top here it would give them plenty of confidence to take into the T20s with them.
South Africa
It looked like South Africa were going to cruise to a win in the second game when they were going well with the bat, even allowing for the fact that they had allowed West Indies to put up a more than competitive score. Unfortunately for them they suffered an all too familiar collapse and although their captain Temba Bavuma did his best to repair the damage, his brilliant innings couldn’t get them over the line and they succumbed to defeat.
We are used to South Africa not delivering with the bat but they are going to need to find some form in that department here because they have a huge series with the Netherlands coming up which will determine whether or not they automatically qualify for the 50 over World Cup later in the year. They are resting their bowlers in this series so they are fresh for that one so we shouldn’t really judge them on what they deliver with the ball here.
West Indies
Whenever you begin a new era nobody really knows how it is going to go. Everyone wants it to go swimmingly but you never really know until it begins. They will be delighted to get off to a winning start but that won’t count for a whole lot if they go on and lose this match and undo their hard work. There was certainly a modern style about West Indies in that last game and that is sometimes a criticism that is levelled at them. They certainly have a nice platform to build on.
West Indies are generally pretty good with the bat. Their strength is with the new ball and while that might be an issue when they get to the World Cup later in the year, the new ball can be destructive in this part of the world so it is certainly no bad thing that they are good in that department here. If they are going to improve as a side they need to keep putting up the 300 scores that they reached in that previous game. Here is another chance to do just that.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account and bet £10 to get up to £20 in free bets! Perfect offer for this series! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Team News
South Africa have added Aiden Markram and Wayne Parnell to their squad and given the way the batting failed them and their bowlers went around the park you would imagine both men find their way into the side here.
West Indies don’t need to change a winning side but if they want to make a switch then they have Romario Shepherd waiting in the wings to either further strengthen the batting unit or just provide another bowling option.
Betting
This is not a high scoring ground. There have only been four scores over 300 in the 19 matches that have been played here and two of those were when Australia played Namibia and the Netherlands faced Bermuda. That makes me think we will be treated to a lower scoring match than we got in the last game. I especially think that will be the case because I’m not sure either of these two batting units can be relied upon consistently.
The bowling units were stronger in that previous match was a lot stronger than was billed on paper and South Africa have added another decent bowler to their ranks for this final game. West Indies tend to struggle when batting conditions are not straightforward and South Africa always look a batter light to me. The run line for this final game is up at 566.5 runs which has only been covered once in 19 matches here. The under looks the bet to me.
Tips
Back Under 566.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2023
