South Africa head into the second T20I in a commanding position. Many of their players have just finished a productive SA20, and that familiarity with home surfaces showed in game one, when they chased down the West Indies’ 173 with nine wickets in hand inside 18 overs.
Captain Aiden Markram led the chase with 86 off 47 balls, helped by Lhuan-dre Pretorius (44) and Ryan Rickelton (40). Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis, who topped the SA20 run charts with 390 and 370 runs respectively, add further depth. With the ball, George Linde took 3 for 25, while Keshav Maharaj and Corbin Bosch claimed two wickets apiece.
The West Indies are looking for consistency after a 2–1 defeat against Afghanistan and the opening loss in this series. Shimron Hetmyer made 48 off 32 balls, Rovman Powell added 29 and Brandon King 27, and Sherfane Rutherford scored 334 runs at 66.80 in the SA20. Their bowlers, however, managed only one wicket last time and must find early breakthroughs to put the home side under pressure.
