The series of unexpected results in this WT20 continues, as the comparatively weaker Pakistan stunned free flowing South Africa, to push the race of semifinals from group 2 till the very last fixture.
Dominating South Africa was anticipated to run through the struggling Pakistan, and in the continuation, to make the picture clear for semifinals from Group 2. But, as it turned out, Pakistan decimated the Proteas to not only keep the group alive, but also put South Africa’s chances for the next round in jeopardy.
6th November 2022, Sunday, will be the last day of Super 12 stage, when all the teams from Group 2, except for Netherlands, fancy their chances for qualification to the semifinal stage. South Africa will take on Netherlands in the first of three matches to be played on Sunday. While the victory in this match is the only option for South Africa to advance ahead in this competition, Netherlands would like to earn one more victory to justify their participation in the Super 12 stage.
Overview:
South Africa:
After missing out on a semifinal spot due to NRR in the previous WT20, the Proteas may this time miss the ticket to semifinal due to rain. South Africa had to concede an important point to Zimbabwe in their first match due to rain gods not allowing South African innings to complete the threshold of 5 overs, so that they could get through on the basis of D/L method. If not for that bad luck, Temba Bavuma’s men would have almost sealed a spot in the semis by now. Because in that case, they don’t have to worry about a possible washout between them and the Dutch at the Adelaide Oval.
As we know that, if South Africa versus Netherlands washes out due to rain, & Pakistan beat Bangladesh, the Proteas will be out of the contention. In this scenario, Pakistan will overtake South Africa in the points table due to having won more matches in the Super 12 stage. Though the above mentioned both matches are to be played on the same venue, the chances of one match being washed out & the other taking place are minimal , but anything can happen.
Poor bowling show against Pakistan should be a rare bad day for the African pace battery. On the other hand, captain Temba Bavuma looked in good touch against Pakistan, which must be a sigh of relief for their batting unit.
More than pondering about their performance with bat and ball, South Africa will keep a keen eye on the weather for the day. If the weather remains clear, South Africa is all capable of beating the Netherlands and advancing ahead.
Netherlands:
The men in orange have just done what one would have expected from them in the Super 12 stage. They beat Zimbabwe and lost marginally to Bangladesh. Other than this, they were good in patches against India & Pakistan, especially with the ball.
But unlike Zimbabwe and Ireland, who also came to the Super 12 stage after playing the qualifiers round, Netherlands have failed to produce any upset. While the Proteas are under pressure to win the game anyhow, Netherlands will look to find the crack and finish their tournament on a high.
Apart from their countrymen , Netherlands will find support from Bangladeshi & Pakistani fans as well, as in case of an upset, Bangladesh vs Pakistan will turn into a virtual knockout.
Expected Playing XIs:
South Africa:
Captain Temba Bavuma is hopeful of David Miller regaining his fitness and joining the team for the crucial match. In this scenario, Heinrich Klassen should make way for David Miller.
Quinton De Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (C), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markaram, Heinrich Klassen / David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi / Keshav Maharaj
Netherlands:
They are expected to continue with the winning combination.
Max O Dowd, Stephan Myburgh, Tom Cooper, Colin Ackerman, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards (C & WK), Roelof Van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Fred Klasseen, Paul van Meekeren, Brandon Glover
Weather and Pitch Report:
The weather at Adelaide is known for its unpredictable nature. Though there are chances that the viewers can even witness the full match, possibilities of a few rain interruptions will be there.
The wicket at the Adelaide Oval is good for batting, with some help for spinners too. Defending totals successfully has been the norm here, though Netherlands defeated Zimbabwe while chasing here.
Match Details-
Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Date: 6th November 2022, 5:30 AM IST, 11 AM Local Time
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network & Hotstar+
Interesting facts and approaching milestones:
- David Miller is just 54 runs short of his team mate Quinton De Kock’s run tally in T20Is.
- Paul van Meekeren’ s economy rate of 6.93 is the fifth best in the world among pacers with at least 50 wickets in T20Is.
- South Africa and Netherlands have faced off only once in T20 cricket before. In a close contest at WT20 2014, South Africa was able to go past Netherlands by just 6 runs.
Dream 11 team-
