Published: Jun 24, 2016, 10:00 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 24, 2016, 05:24 PM (IST)
South Africa and West Indies square off in the final league match of Tri-Nations Series 2016 at Bridgetown on Friday. It is a virtual semi-final as whoever wins will play Australia in the final on Sunday at Bridgetown. While South Africa’s previous match was abandoned due to rain, West Indies faced a heavy defeat against Australia. The hosts posted 282 in the first innings and had managed to remove the Australian openers within 6 overs. However, Jason Holder and Co. failed to stop the Australian middle-order of Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh who remained unbeaten and ensured Australia won the match by 6 wickets. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: West Indies vs South Africa, Match 9, Tri-Nations Series 2016 at Barbados
The previous meeting between these two was in the 6th ODI of the Tri-Nation Series, the match which was thoroughly dominated by the visitors across departments. South African openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock provided an excellent 182-run stand for the first wicket followed by a crucial 40 from all-rounder Chris Morris. Amla smashed a 99-ball 110, while de Jerome Taylor ended de Kock’s innings when the batsman was on 71.
Ahead of South Africa’s fixture against West Indies, JP Duminy spoke to ESPNCricnfo. He said, “If you look back at the games we’ve played so far, we’ve been reasonably good in one area. We haven’t completed a game where we’ve done well with bat and ball. So we’re searching for that perfect game.”
“The mood is relaxed, which is a good mood for us to be in because we know we’re going to have to put in that big performance. That it’s a crunch game, a semi-final, will bring a little more pressure to it. That’s a reason for us to emphasise our basics more,” the all-rounder added.
