FANTASY PREVIEW
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England – W W W L W
South Africa – W W W W W
Head to Head
England 12 - 12 South Africa
South Africa won by 90 runs (2022)
Venue details (four matches this year)
Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Average first innings score: 177
Bat first / Bat second split: Two out of the four games played here in 2024 have been won by the team batting first
Pace and spin split: Average 31.2 vs 30.3, Economy 9.7 vs 8.2, Percentage of wickets 56.8% vs 43.2%
Weather conditions
St Lucia is expected to witness some rain on the match day. However, and fortunately, the chances of rain during the clash, i.e.,10.30 AM local time, are less than 10%. However, there might be some cloud cover and moisture in the air due to overnight rain, which is marked at 23%.
Players to watch out for
Phil Salt: The 27-year-old struck 87* off 47 balls in England’s win over West Indies. Salt is the highest run-scorer for England since 2023, with 599 T20I runs at an average and strike rate of 49.9 and 172.6 respectively. In all T20s this year, Salt has 812 runs at a terrific strike rate of 177.7.
Jos Buttler: If Salt is the highest, Buttler is the second-highest scorer for England since 2023, not much behind Salt (539 runs). He averages 38.5 at a strike rate of 152.3 for his runs. Buttler has four half-centuries in 16 innings in this period.
Anrich Nortje: The right-arm speedster is the second-highest wicket-taker this tournament, with 10 scalps at only 10.7 runs apiece while maintaining an economy of 5.4. Nortje bowls as the fifth bowler for South Africa and bombards the batters with his short-pitch deliveries. If the template works in the Super 8s, Nortje can provide your fantasy side a bagful of points. Although, the conditions would be a lot different in St Lucia.
Key Battles
Adil Rashid vs South Africa’s middle order
South Africa’s middle order — Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs and David Miller — have great numbers versus spin. However, all of them have been dismissed by leg-spinners a fair bit this year in T20s trying to take them on. Stubbs and Miller average 21.2 and 27.3 in T20s this year. They will be up against Adil Rashid, one of the finest leg-spinners in world cricket at present and a pivotal link in England’s bowling. There could be an intriguing cat-and-mouse game between Rashid and the South African middle order that can decide the outcome of this clash as well as your fantasy fortunes.
Cricket.com’s suggested Fantasy XI
Probable Playing XI
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram ( c ), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottniel Baartman
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c/wk), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley
Streaming and Telecast details
The match will begin at 8 PM IST on June 21 and will be streamed and telecasted on Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports.
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