 West Indies will host South Africa in the second ODI of the five match
series at the same ground, North Sound in Antigua. South Africa leads the series
1-0, and have won all the three matches on tour so far, including the two T20Is.
As usual, West Indies continue to make some strange choices, as was
the case with their decision to field first in the first ODI as well. It was
a flat track that should have been taken advantage of, but instead of that,
a few drops of rain were enough for the West Indian captain Chris Gayle to take
that decision to field.
Click for Live Score Card of West Indies Vs South Africa
The West Indian captain should realise that their bowling is not strong enough
to opt for such choices and hence, it would make sense for them to bat first,
and through the rest of the four games, if they won the toss. It also means
that Gayle needs to himself, take some responsibility with the bat, if he needs
to expect the others to play around him.
In the previous game, Gayle got another start, but failed to kick on from his
39-ball 45. His batting was obviously savage and attractive, but without that
century to his name, he would never be able to beat the opposition.
The bowling line-up for West Indies needs to include Sulieman Benn and
he should be encouraged to bowl the way he does. He is a tall bowler and gets
a lot of bounce from the wicket, something that will make it difficult for the
batsmen to play him.
From the South African perspective, the batting clicked really well in the
previous game, and Hashim Amla's presence made it another high-scoring innings
for the side. Amla has been in the form of his life, and it is a pity that he
is not being allowed to play the T20Is. However, that should not worry the side
too much as he smacked a century on his return to the side after a rather long
break and that propelled the South African total to 280.
South Africa also has a new-look bowling line-up after the previous attack
has been bandied around. Albie Morkel has been shown the door and in
his place is Lonwobo Tsotsobe whereas Ryan McLaren continues to carry his T20I
forward. Even on the spinning front, Johan Botha had had a decent game last,
and with AB de Villiers continuing to keep the wickets, the South African side
looks strong and very balanced to win the second ODI as well.
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