Heading into the T20 World Cup, South Africa were touted as a near-complete side with a fiery batting line-up and a well-rounded bowling attack. Five games in since the group stage, the Proteas have managed to cling onto that fact, albeit with a string of sketchy wins.
After wavering returns in New York, Aiden Markram’s side averted looming defeats against Nepal and the United States in the Caribbean. South Africa will now need to fire in unison across departments against England in St. Lucia on Friday to ensure they stay afloat in a tricky Super 8 group that also includes the West Indies.
While the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet has invariably hosted high-scoring games this tournament, the onus will be more on the bowling attacks of both teams to bring their A-game to make a difference.
St Lucia (T20 WC 2024)
Pace
Spin
Wickets
25
19
Economy
9.32
8.21
SR
15.8
22.1
After a patchy start, England regained steam after trouncing West Indies in the first Super 8 game. Even as the batters cantered in an 181-run chase, it was the English bowlers that made a difference, bowling 51 dot balls off which 36 (six overs) were delivered by the seamers.
The seam quartet of Reece Topley, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Sam Curran enforce a stern test for South Africa, whose batters have struggled to counter the fast bowlers in the tournament. Their counterparts, led by Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, have been mercurial, illustrated best by their slender win over the United States.
South Africa’s batters have been susceptible to the seamers, posting the worst average (24.13) and run rate (6.25 rpo) among all the Super 8 teams. Meanwhile, England top the charts on run rates (11.25) against pace and hold a healthy 30-plus average against seam on the Caribbean strips.
Pacers (T20 WC 2024)
England
South Africa
Overs bowled
47.2
72.1
Wickets
12
24
SR
23.6
18.0
Economy
7.62
5.21
Average
30.08
15.66
The sides have fought neck-and-neck in T20Is over the years, sharing 12 wins apiece. If the quality of pace on display matches up to one another, one could be in for a tight run-fest that will go down to the wire with Jos Buttler’s side sniffing a tinge of advantage this time.
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Lalith Kalidas is a Senior Sub-Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Working with the online sports desk, Lalith specializes in the happenings on the cricket field, with a particular interest in India's domestic cricket circle. He also carries an affinity towards data-driven stories and often weaves them into cricketing contexts through his analysis. Lalith also writes the weekly stats-based cricket column – 'Stats Corner'. A former cricketer who has played in state-level tournaments in Kerala, he has over three years of experience as a sports journalist. Lalith also covered the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India. … Read More

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