SA vs WI Preview | Final chance for South Africa and West Indies to lock-in combinations for World Cup

South Africa have already taken the first two matches off the West Indies.

They controlled the scoring and made the chase look easy in both games, with Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton getting the batting off to a flying start, then the fast bowlers chipping in to keep pressure on the opposition in the powerplays and death overs.

Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton set the pace at the top of the order, while the fast bowlers consistently put pressure on their opponents in the powerplay and death overs.

For the West Indies, though, this one's a make or break match, because they're having a dreadful time scoring after losing a few early wickets. Their middle order still has a bit of punch, but they've just not been able to put some meat on the bones, so to speak.

Form Guide

After getting knocked around by India and then taking out the West Indies twice in a row, the South Africans were looking a bit shaky going into this series.

Since then, though, they've been trying to get their act together, focusing on not losing wickets too early on, and taking a more careful approach against the new ball, with the aim of getting as far as they can with as few guns blazing.

The West Indies, on the other hand, have been all over the shop recently - they lost a series to Afghanistan, then got done twice by the South Africans, and they're still looking for the right mix of attack and caution.

South Africa: W L L W W

West Indies: L L W L L

South Africa vs West Indies Head-to-Head

These two have had some real nail-bites over the years, with the outcome often decided by the odd 5 or 10 runs on either side. They've been pretty even in their head to head matches, but the South Africans have had the upper hand in this series so far, with a more measured approach and fewer silly mistakes in the field.

South Africa 14-14 West Indies

Pitch and Weather

The Wanderers is a ground that's made for batting aggressively, where you can get a big score without too much trouble. The pitch has good bounce, and the ball tends to come off the bat well, which makes it a perfect spot to go out and get a big score. Fast bowlers can get some early help with a new ball, but as the game wears on, it gets a lot easier for batsmen to start scoring.

The weather on match day is looking pretty decent, no rain in sight, and maybe a bit of dew in the evening. Whoever wins the toss will likely try to bowl first.

Team News

The South Africa team continues to rely on a strong top order and flexible middle order. Rickelton and Stubbs remain important players in building innings after the powerplay. In bowling, the main burden falls on Rabada, Ngidi, and Jansen, who lead the attack with the new ball and close out the decisive overs.

The West Indies also reported no injuries ahead of the match.

The main question is the stability of the batting line after the first wickets. 

Hope and King need to ensure a calm start to the innings, while Hetmyer, Powell, and Shepherd are responsible for accelerating in the second half of the match. In bowling, the West Indies are relying on the duo of Seales and Joseph, as well as control in the middle overs from Akeal Hosein.

South Africa (Probable XI): Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

West Indies (Probable XI): Shai Hope (c & wk), Brandon King, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph

Broadcasting Platforms

The South Africa vs West Indies 3rd T20I match will be available on official international sports TV channels and streaming platforms that broadcast international T20 cricket.