Hosts South Africa are all set to take on West Indies as the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup gets underway on Friday, January 19. Both sides will take on each other in match No. 2 of the marquee tournament at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom, which is one of the five venues earmarked for the tournament.
Both sides couldn’t get much game time during the warm-up stage of the tournament due to inclement weather. While both of South Africa’s matches (Pakistan and Afghanistan) ended in no result, West Indies defeated New Zealand in their first warm-up fixture before their clash against Nepal got washed out due to rain.
The South African team has made quite a few headlines leading into the tournament, not because of cricketing reasons, though. David Teeger, who was announced to lead the team at the high-profile event was asked to step down in the “best interests of all the players”.
Teeger dedicated an award he won last year to “the state of Israel and to every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora” and Cricket South Africa (CSA) relieved him from captaincy duties fearing protests at the venues for the tournament.
On the other hand, the champions of the 2016 edition of the tournament, the Windies are pumped after beating the Kiwis and the pep talk that they received from Kieron Pollard. Just like the other teams, they too have numerous players who can impress in the tournament.
Senwes Park Pitch Report:
Senwes Park in Potchefstroom is one of the most seamer-friendly surfaces in the country. Pacers get a lot of carry at the venue and it makes life difficult for the batters. Both teams have tall pacers who can create a lasting impact with the ball. Therefore, the batters will have to abstain from taking unnecessary risks early on in their innings.
Senwes Park ODI Record and Stats
Total ODI Matches: 46
Matches won batting first: 20
Matches won bowling first: 23
Average first innings score: 234
Average second innings score: 187
Highest total scored: 418/5 by South Africa vs Zimbabwe
Highest score chased: 273/2 by South Africa vs Zimbabwe
Lowest total recorded: 45 all out by Namibia vs Australia
Lowest total defended: 158/9 by IND-W vs SA-W
South Africa U19 Squad:
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Steve Stolk, David Teeger, Richard Seletswane, Oliver Whitehead, Dewan Marais, Romashan Pillay, Juan James (c), Ntando Zuma (wK), Kwena Maphaka, Martin Khumalo, Tristan Luus, Riley Norton, Nqobani Mokoena, Sipho Potsane
West Indies U19 Squad:
Adrian Weir, Stephan Pascal (c/wk), Joshua Dorne, Jordan Johnson, Steve Wedderburn, Jewel Andrew, Isai Thorne, Nathan Edwards, Deshawn James, Reon Edwards, Nathan Sealy, Mavendra Dindyal, Tarrique Edward, Devonie Joseph, Raneico Smith