England’s seam attack can control the game if they match up to South Africa and trouble the Proteas batters in St Lucia. (AP)
Heading into the T20 World Cup, South Africa were touted as a near-complete side with a fiery batting line-up and a well-rounded bowling attack. Five games in since the group stage, the Proteas have managed to cling onto that fact, albeit with a string of sketchy wins.
After wavering returns in New York, Aiden Markram’s side averted looming defeats against Nepal and the United States in the Caribbean. South Africa will now need to fire in unison across departments against England in St. Lucia on Friday to ensure they stay afloat in a tricky Super 8 group that also includes the West Indies.
While the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet has invariably hosted high-scoring games this tournament, the onus will be more on the bowling attacks of both teams to bring their A-game to make a difference.
| St Lucia (T20 WC 2024) | Pace | Spin |
| Wickets | 25 | 19 |
| Economy | 9.32 | 8.21 |
| SR | 15.8 | 22.1 Advertisement |
After a patchy start, England regained steam after trouncing West Indies in the first Super 8 game. Even as the batters cantered in an 181-run chase, it was the English bowlers that made a difference, bowling 51 dot balls off which 36 (six overs) were delivered by the seamers.
The seam quartet of Reece Topley, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Sam Curran enforce a stern test for South Africa, whose batters have struggled to counter the fast bowlers in the tournament. Their counterparts, led by Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, have been mercurial, illustrated best by their slender win over the United States.
South Africa’s batters have been susceptible to the seamers, posting the worst average (24.13) and run rate (6.25 rpo) among all the Super 8 teams. Meanwhile, England top the charts on run rates (11.25) against pace and hold a healthy 30-plus average against seam on the Caribbean strips.
| Pacers (T20 WC 2024) | England | South Africa |
| Overs bowled | 47.2 | 72.1 |
| Wickets | 12 | 24 |
| SR | 23.6 | 18.0 |
| Economy | 7.62 | 5.21 |
| Average | 30.08 | 15.66 |
The sides have fought neck-and-neck in T20Is over the years, sharing 12 wins apiece. If the quality of pace on display matches up to one another, one could be in for a tight run-fest that will go down to the wire with Jos Buttler’s side sniffing a tinge of advantage this time.
Get latest updates on T20 World Cup along with live score updates for all matches.
