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This Tuesday, South Africa and the West Indies will begin a month of cricket. With two Test matches, three ODI and three T20s between these two historical cricket playing nations, cricket fans around the world will be treated to a real arm wrestle of an encounter. Neither side is in the best form currently, with both being beat up by Australia and failing to qualify for the World Test Championship.
Such an equal backdrop to this series makes for a fascinating match up in the first Test. We break down all of the odds and best bets ahead of the first ball being bowled, and offer up our expert predictions on the South Africa vs West Indies first Test.
These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.
- South Africa vs West Indies first Test
- 28th of February 2023, 9:00 AM GMT
- Supersport Park, Centurion, South Africa
Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
Contents
The pitch at Supersport Park is expected to be batter-friendly. The weather, however, is less likely to be so friendly. Scattered thunderstorms are currently forecast for Wednesday and Friday, meaning it is quite likely there will be disruptions to play for several sessions of this Test match.
South Africa vs West Indies – Match Predictions
Here at Pundit Feed, we pride ourselves on making great cricket predictions. Looking at this first Test overall, we say there’s a good case to be made for this one ending in a stalemate. Ladbrokes is offering fantastic 7/1 odds for a draw, and considering that there’s poor weather forecast, and a batter-friendly pitch, this is a great wager.
While neither side is in great form big picture, the West Indies head into this match with slightly better momentum. Both were trounced by Australia earlier in the Southern Hemisphere summer, however since then, the West Indies have headed to Zimbabwe and picked up a win and a draw (which would have been another win, had it not been for the weather). Combine the West Indies form, with South Africa’s home advantage, and we say the two result in a draw.
Here are two other more specific bets we suggest making ahead of this match:
Prediction 1
Temba Bavuma to Be SA's Top Batsman
9/2 (5.50)
BET HERE >
Odds from
Prediction 2
Gudakesh Motie to Be WI's Top Bowler
9/2 (5.50)
BET HERE >
Odds from
These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.
South Africa’s Top Batsman
There’s been a lot of talk about Temba Bavuma’s form with the bat of late, particularly in white ball cricket. However, with scores of 38, 29, 1, 65 and 35, the reality is the South African captain was the best of the lot in their dismal tour of Australia. While Bavuma will be wanting to improve on these numbers at home, and against a weaker opposition, he’s still one of the in-form batsmen in this side right now.
With a little confidence and momentum under his belt, expect Bavuma to be even stronger in home conditions. At 5.50 (9/2), he’s an excellent bet to be South Africa’s top scorer.
Prediction: Temba Bavuma to be South Africa’s top batsman.
West Indies’ Top Wicket Taker
Young Gudakesh Motie had a fantastic series in Zimbabwe. In just two Tests, the spinner took 19 wickets. Admittedly, many bowlers would prefer to bowl to Zimbabwe than South Africa, however there’s likely less of a gap in the calibre of the batting line ups now than there has been in the past.
Motie may not replicate his impressive figure of 7/37 from Zimbabwe, but there’s no denying that he’s in hot form right now. Chances are, he’ll have a field day against the South African batters when the pitch eases up a little and becomes more fruitful for the spinners.
Prediction: Gudakesh Motie to be the West Indies’ top wicket taker.
South Africa vs West Indies Preview
With these two bets in mind, here’s a look at how each of these sides are shaping up ahead of the first Test on Tuesday:
South Africa
South Africa have one of the most threatening bowling attacks in the world, but will be desperate to see some results from their batsmen. In their last five Tests, they’ve been bowled out for under 200 on seven occasions. Only once since last August have they crossed the 250 mark, making it tough for their strong bowling line up to be effective.
South Africa predicted XI: 1.Dean Elgar, 2. Temba Bavuma (captain), 3. Keegan Petersen, 4. Aiden Markram, 5. Tony de Zorzi, 6. Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), 7. Marco Jansen, 8. Keshav Maharaj, 9. Simon Harmer, 10. Kagiso Rabada, 11. Anrich Nortje.
West Indies
The West Indies will be happy with their performance in Zimbabwe. They put together some strong opening stands, with Kraigg Braithwaite continuing his fine form and Guakesh Motie finding some of his own. They will be very aware, however, that this confidence may be misplaced, and South Africa will be an entirely different challenge.
West Indies predicted XI: 1.Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), 2. Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 3. Raymon Reifer, 4. Jermaine Blackwood, 5. Kyle Mayers, 6. Roston Chase, 7. Jason Holder, 8. Joshua Da Silva (wicketkeeper), 9. Alzarri Joseph, 10. Gudakesh Motie, 11. Shannon Gabriel.
How to Watch South Africa vs West Indies First Test in the UK: Live Streaming & Channel List
Those looking to live stream or watch the South Africa vs West Indies first Test on TV have several options:
- BT Sports 1
- Sky Sports Cricket
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