Despite the wash-out in the first ODI, the series turned out to be an action packed one. West Indies had the better of the hosts in the second ODI. But, the home team came back with an annihilation in the third to level the series. &nbsp;West Indies&rsquo;s tour to South Africa will end with three T20Is, starting from 25th. The men in Maroon, haven&rsquo;t played a T20I in South Africa post the 2015 series. The series ended on a happy note as the visitors won the series 2-1.On the other hand, South Africa in their last four T20I bilateral series at home, haven&rsquo;t won a single one. They were white-washed by England in November 2020, and then Pakistan won the four-match series with a 3-1 timeline.Ground detailsPrepare for a run fest. The SuperSport Park, Centurion, hasn&rsquo;t been a ground favorable for the bowlers in recent times. In T20Is since 2019, teams have scored at a run rate of 9.2 at this venue. Among venues that have witnessed five or more matches, the run rate is the fourth highest.The last T20I that was played at this venue was in 2021. But, in the inaugural edition of the SA20 in 2023, the conditions weren&rsquo;t different. In the six matches played at this venue, teams scored at a run rate of 9.5, the only venue in which the run rate was above nine. The average first innings score at this venue was 198. Despite that, teams had chosen to field first in all six matches in SA20.SuperSport Park was a venue that was least conducive for the spinners. Only 17.6 percent of the overs were bowled by spinners as compared to 82.4 by pacers. Evidently, the pacers bagged the larger chunk of wickets (88.6%). Both in terms of wickets and overs percentage, no other venue was dominated by pacers as SuperSport Park.Suggested Team&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1679685405071-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil">While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com&rsquo;s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.Captaincy suggestionFor small leagues: <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/28035/quinton-de-kock/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quinton de Kock</a> (capt), <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/64219/aiden-markram/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aiden Markram</a> (vice-capt)For grand leagues: <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4357/rilee-rossouw/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rilee Rossouw</a> (capt), <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/64264/alzarri-joseph/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alzarri Joseph</a> (vice-capt)Stats that matter-SuperSport Park might be a fortress for South Africa in Tests, but their T20I record here, has been horrendous off late. In their last five matches at this venue, they have lost four. In back-to-back matches, one against England (2020), and another against Pakistan (2021), they failed to defend 200+ total. &nbsp;&nbsp;-In T20Is since 2020, South Africa played 13 home matches with a win/loss ratio of 0.300. Among teams that have played 10+ home matches in this time, their win/loss ratio is the worst.-In T20Is since 2022, among the Test playing nations, South African bowlers have the worst economy (8.43) and West Indies have the second worst (8.35). In any case, South African bowlers have the best strike rate (16.6). Costly, but effective may be.Grand league punts-Rilee Rossouw has been in scintillating form. In all T20s since 2021, he has scored over 400 runs at a strike rate of 155+ in each of the years. In the aforementioned time, among players who have scored 1000+ runs, his overall strike rate of 164.8 is the fourth highest. Adding to that, he has hit four centuries. &nbsp;-Alzarri Joseph had a great year with the ball in 2022. In all T20s, the lanky bowler picked up 46 wickets at an economy of 7.7 and a strike rate of 15.3. The year 2022, was his most productive year. He has bowled 15+ overs in a year five times, and his strike rate of 15.3 in 2022, was the best.Top Criclytics predictions<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1679685514533-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> Probable XISouth Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram (c), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Wayne Parnell/Marco Jansen, Bjorn Fortuin, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz ShamsiWest Indies: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell (c), Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoyPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the first T20I between South Africa and West Indies

Quinton de Kock

Aiden Markram

Rilee Rossouw

Alzarri Joseph

West Indies tour of South Africa, 2023

South Africa

West Indies

Fantasy Preview: Pack the team with batters and pacers

South Africa skipper <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/12492/temba-bavuma/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Temba Bavuma</a> believes <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/59736/heinrich-klaasen/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Heinrich Klaasen</a>&rsquo;s ton in the third ODI against West Indies stands out as the perfect example of the brand of cricket the Proteas want to play going forward, and revealed that the right-hander&rsquo;s 119* felt like a &lsquo;watershed moment&rsquo; for South Africa as a team, for that is exactly how they&rsquo;d envisioned batting as a group.South Africa entered the third ODI 0-1 down, and were staring down the barrel at 87/4, chasing 261, but a stunning 54-ball ton from Klaasen helped them not only chase down the target, but do it in record time as they became the first ever side in ODI history to chase a 250+ target in under 30 overs.&nbsp;Bavuma, who himself struck a sizzling ton in the second ODI, was full of praise for Klaasen&rsquo;s knock and approach and attested that the swashbuckling century serves as the blueprint for the Proteas, going forward in 50-over cricket.&quot;Klaasen batted beautifully and the way he went about his business speaks to how we want to play our cricket,&quot; Bavuma said of Klaasen&#39;s ton.&quot;Watching on the sidelines, it felt like a watershed moment for us as a team because we&#39;ve been talking about how we want to play.&quot;The manner in which he batted breathed life in terms of what we&#39;ve been talking about.&quot;But Bavuma feels it&#39;s imperative that his side builds on this performance and starts replicating the same going forward - that too across conditions.&quot;In this game, Klaasen showed what we want to do on a consistent basis, but it&#39;s important that we grow through such games and the other games that&#39;ll come our way,&quot; Bavuma said.&quot;We need to be able to play like this in other conditions.&quot;The emphatic chase in the third ODI against West Indies was, in fact, the second time in four ODIs the Proteas had taken down a bowling attack through a gung-ho approach, having chased down 343 in 49.1 overs against England. Bavuma understands there&#39;s a &#39;learning process&#39; ahead but believes his side are on the right track.He also hoped for the team&#39;s recent showings to play a part in building &#39;trust and belief&#39; among fans.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ve taken a few steps towards what perfect would look like for us.&quot;We&#39;ve shown in the last two games against the West Indies and the three games against England that we have confidence in refining our brand.&quot;We know there&#39;s still a learning process that we still need to go through because we&#39;re going to come up against different opposition in different conditions which we&#39;ll have to adapt to.&quot;The three-match series against West Indies, however, was not a part of the ODI Super League. The Proteas, as things stand, have still not sealed automatic qualification for the 50-over World Cup and will have to win both the ODIs against Netherlands, which will be played on March 31 and April 2 respectively, to give themselves the best chance of doing so.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The skipper was full of praise for Klaasen’s approach and attested that the swashbuckling century serves as the blueprint for the Proteas going forward

Temba Bavuma

Klaasen’s ton felt like a watershed moment for us as a team: Bavuma

Prior to Tuesday, only two South Africans &mdash; <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3675/ab-de-villiers/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AB de Villiers</a> and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/631/mark-boucher/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark Boucher</a> &mdash; had smashed an ODI ton in 54 or fewer balls, and the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/59736/heinrich-klaasen/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Henirich Klaasen</a> joined the list on the back of a stunning onslaught in the third ODI against West Indies.Klaasen&rsquo;s stroke-making was mind-boggling in itself but even more absurd was the situation in which he managed to do the same. Chasing 261, the Proteas were in all sorts at 87/4 and had only one specialist batter &mdash; David Miller &mdash; left in the sheds. The match situation demanded a slow rebuild that would help the hosts find their way back into the chase, but Klaasen paid no heed to the situation as he went bang, bang, taking down every single Windies bowler in the process.And outrageously enough, the ploy ended up working as South Africa got home in just 29.3 overs, in turn becoming the first team in ODI history to chase a 250+ target within 30 overs. Klaasen finished with 119* off just 61 balls and the hosts ended up leveling the series in the most thrilling fashion imaginable.So how did Klaasen do what he did? How did he, with his side&rsquo;s back against the wall, gather the courage to come out swinging and steamroll the opposition?&quot;It was one of those days where the first couple of shots went into the gap,&quot; Klaasen said after the game.&quot;To be quite honest, the rest was simple for me. We&#39;re trying to play the conditions and not the situations, and the conditions were fantastic to bat on.&quot;I felt like I had a couple of loose deliveries that I capitalised on, and I felt that set the tempo for my innings.&quot;I didn&#39;t have to take too many risks, even though I took one or two, but the good ball I could have respected.&quot;There was no pressure, even when I got in, to chase any sort of big run-rate when the conditions are that good.&quot;You just have to bat through and play each ball on its own merits.&quot;The knock on Tuesday was, by far, the most explosive of Klaasen&rsquo;s ODI career and the 31-year-old said that he fixed a small flaw at the nets in the lead-up to the game that allowed him to free up his game.&quot;We just fixed a little technical thing at the nets after 50 balls of edging and surviving balls,&quot; Klaasen said.&quot;I just tried to stay nice and still and calm. I think after that, I hit a couple of better balls and everything seemed to hit the middle of the bat a bit better.&quot;I took that confidence into today&#39;s game.&quot;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

From 87/4 in 12.1 overs, South Africa remarkably ended up chasing 261 in under 30 overs

Heinrich Klaasen

‘I played the conditions, not the situation’ - Klaasen post his stunning ton

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/59736/heinrich-klaasen/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Heinrich Klaasen</a> slammed a 54-ball century as South Africa beat the West Indies by four wickets in the third and final one-day international on Tuesday.South Africa were in trouble at 87 for four chasing a West Indian total of 260, but Klaasen went for his shots, and the home side chased down the target with 20.3 overs to spare.The series was shared 1-1 after the first match was rained off. &quot;We try to play conditions and not the situation and the conditions were fantastic,&quot; said Klaasen.Klaasen finished with 119 not out off 61 balls, hitting 15 fours and five sixes in Potchefstroom. He shared partnerships of 55 off 38 balls with <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/5313/david-miller/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Miller</a> (17) and a match-clinching sixth-wicket stand of 103 off 62 deliveries with<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/69409/marco-jansen/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Marco Jansen </a>(43).&quot;It was a good wicket, and it was one of my better knocks,&quot; said Klaasen after notching his second one-day international century and the fourth-fastest for South Africa behind two from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3675/ab-de-villiers/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AB de Villiers</a> and one from Mark Boucher.De Villiers holds the world record with his 31-ball hundred against the West Indies in Johannesburg in 2014/15. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/64264/alzarri-joseph/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alzarri Joseph</a> rocked the South Africans at the start of their innings by taking the first two wickets with aggressive, short-pitched bowling.He finished with three for 50, but the rest of the West Indian bowlers took heavy punishment. Klaasen was particularly severe on spin bowlers <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/57239/akeal-hosein/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akeal Hosein</a>, who took two for 49 in seven overs, and Yannic Cariah, who conceded 49 runs in 3.3 overs.West Indies were bowled out for 260 after they were sent in by <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/64219/aiden-markram/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aiden Markram</a>, captaining South Africa in the absence of <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/12492/temba-bavuma/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Temba Bavuma</a>, who had a hamstring strain. Brandon King struck 11 fours and a six in making 72 off 72 balls in an inning studded with elegant drives.But the rest of the West Indian batsmen failed, apart from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63726/nicholas-pooran/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nicholas Pooran</a>, who hit 39 and Jason Holder, who made 36. &quot;We batted well in parts, but we definitely did not perform with the ball,&quot; said West Indies captain Shai Hope.The series did not count for the World Cup Super League but Markram said Tuesday&#39;s result was important ahead of two matches against the Netherlands at the end of the month which South Africa must win if they hope to qualify automatically for the World Cup.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

South Africa became the first team to successfully chase down a total of over 250 runs in less than 30 overs

David Miller

Marco Jansen

Klaasen slams 54-ball century, South Africa level series

Entering this series on the back of a run marathon in the test series, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/12492/temba-bavuma/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Temba Bavuma</a> continued his rich vein of form with a fantastic 144 (118). With 11 fours and 7 sixes in the innings, Bavuma continued to answer his critics with his bat, and picked off from where he left in the two-match Test series against the same opposition.&nbsp;&quot;An innings like that deserves to be a victorious innings but it just so happened that we came out on top at the end. I must give him credit for the way he controlled the innings. He played the situation well and he really deserved to win the game but there can only be one winner&quot;, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63797/shai-hope/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shai Hope</a> said on Bavuma&#39;s innings.&quot;I&#39;m enjoying my cricket at this point in time. My mind is just a lot clearer as to what we&#39;re trying to do and how we&#39;re trying to do that; feeding off the confidence that I am getting from the players as well as the new coaches. It&#39;s just a confidence thing. Confidence is a big thing for any sportsman,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I am just trying to carry on the form and the momentum I got in the England series. I am hitting the ball quite nicely. I am managing to find gaps, which is a big thing for me as a stroke player. I can only hope that lasts &quot;, Bavuma said at the post match presentation.&nbsp;Talking about the positives, Bavuma said, &quot;If we had restricted them to around 300 considering we had got early wickets. There is nowhere else to learn, this is valuable experience. This is all about learning. We kept believing, and taking it ball by ball&quot;.Despite his best efforts, WI managed to bundle them out 48 runs short of the target. Having lost 80% of their ODIs in 2022, the Windies will be happy to get back to winning way more frequently in a World Cup year.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s something we speak about in the meetings. We are just trying to win more cricket games. We didn&#39;t have a successful 2022 and we are trying everything to turn it around&quot;, Shai Hope added.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Temba Bavuma has found a new wind to his career and continued his golden run of form with yet another century

Shai Hope

Enjoying my cricket at this point in time: Bavuma

Wait, we are already on the 22nd edition of the Cricket.com weekly?&nbsp;That&rsquo;s awesome.&nbsp;Just as awesome as the cricketing action from last week. Seven days that saw Mumbai Indians&rsquo; dominate the Women&rsquo;s Premier League (ya, sure, boring) to India crushing Australia&rsquo;s hopes with a pitch that is as dead as someone&#39;s will to work on a rainy day.What&rsquo;s or who is making the headlines?Kane Mama to New Zealand&rsquo;s rescue<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4330/kane-williamson/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kane Williamson</a> is back.&nbsp;New Zealand are back.&nbsp;All the tweets about &lsquo;Test cricket, you beauty&rsquo; too are back. But only barely. The BlackCaps won the first Test by the barest of margins, off the last ball of a five-day event. Who could have written such a solid script?I&rsquo;m sure even the IPL and the BCCI couldn&rsquo;t have been so immaculate with their writing. To think that the right-hander only scored one run in the first innings is really A JOKE! Come the second innings, he turned into a monster. He even batted with a monster, in the form of<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/57444/daryl-mitchell/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Daryl Mitchell</a>, who scored an 86-ball 81, with three fours and four sixes.8 runs were required from the last six balls. Six off four balls. Five off three balls. That&rsquo;s when Williamson&rsquo;s bat wielded like a sword, and under pressure, slapped Asita Fernando through point for a massive boundary. But then came the dot ball. 1 off 1, and Williamson misses but then runs through for a tight single, NEW ZEALAND HAVE WON!!!BANGLADESH CREATE HISTORYOh, while you were busy with New Zealand-Sri Lanka or India-Australia, Bangladesh were busy creating history. The Tigers have now defeated all three giants &ndash; Australia, New Zealand and England &ndash; at home in the shortest format. That&rsquo;s quite an achievement, to be honest. But this perhaps was the most impressive of the three wins, because England are the defending champions, they know how to win (well, not in Bangladesh but surely at other places).If there&rsquo;s one thing England realised over the course of that one week, it is that &lsquo;batters are of utmost importance&rsquo; and that&rsquo;s something that cost them dearly in the Asian conditions. For Bangladesh, it was the resurgence of <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/76294/mehidy-hasan-miraj/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mehidy Hasan Miraz</a>, who picked up five wickets, including four in the second T20I, which gave them a series win.Delhi Capitals, welcome your new Oz skipper?<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65756/rishabh-pant/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rishabh Pant</a> is out of the IPL, at least that&rsquo;s what this news from the Delhi Capitals camp has confirmed. But the leadership has moved from one southpaw to another, well two southpaws to be honest. On March 16 (Thursday), DC confirmed that the 2016-IPL winning skipper, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/5380/david-warner/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Warner&nbsp;</a>will be at the helm of things for Delhi on the field.Davey&#39;s at the wheel, Tell me how does it feel, We&rsquo;ve got Shaw, Marsh and Ahmed, Yash Dhull, a Delhi born and bred,If that&rsquo;s not the chant at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, consider me disappointed.Kohli, Kohli, KohliWho doesn&rsquo;t love breaking a drought? Well, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3993/virat-kohli/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Virat Kohli</a> for the longest time was one, he hated breaking the drought. Jokes aside, the former Indian skipper finally got the monkey (Test century) off his back, against a dominant Australian bowling unit. Sure, the pitch was placid and runs were easy to come by but considering his form, there was a strong chance he could have missed out.But nope, Kohli stood tall, literally and figuratively to punch a heavyweight, with a 186, which showed he was BACK. BACK WITH A 186-BANG. Might be because of the placid wicket but you could sense that the confidence is back. At least, it should after the knock.What&rsquo;s happening in international cricket (on the field)?- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;No shockers, India and Australia finally play out a dull draw. If after the toss, you expected a result, I&rsquo;m not sure how much cricket you&rsquo;d have watched. Can&rsquo;t even call it a road in Bangalore, at least it has bumps. 480 &amp; 175/2d vs 571, that&rsquo;s how the entire Test could be summed up, and India wrap the series 2-1.- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;If you think India-Australia was done, then the ODI series began, with a humdinger that was won by India in Mumbai, all thanks to KL Rahul&rsquo;s sublime 75, and of course, a valuable 45 and 2/46 from Ravindra Jadeja.- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Bangladesh registered a thumping three-nil series win over the current champions, England in the three-match T20I series. Their three wins &ndash; six wickets win, four wickets win and finally, a 16-run win.- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;South Africa completed a stunning 2-0 whitewash over the West Indies, and the visitors stood no chance against such a strong bowling unit. They were blown away to smithereens in the second Test.- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;After taking a 1-0 series lead, New Zealand started strong in the second Test, with twin centurions, in the form of Henry Nicholls (200) and Kane Williamson (215), to take them to 580/4 before Sri Lanka crashed to 26/2, leaving a lot for them to do on the remaining three days.&nbsp;Dominant Mumbai make WPL extremely lop-sidedThe first season of the competition, you expect some fun and close contests between teams, right? That&rsquo;s where Mumbai Indians made it a dull sport. Winning five out of five is okay but then trashing four teams en-route, is simply not ACCEPTABLE. Which demonic team has a net-run rate of +3.325 after five games. Either way, WPL has become just too lop-sided.Read: <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/wpl-mid-season-what-works-and-what-doesnt-1678715003589" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WPL Mid Season - What worked and what hasn&#39;t?</a>Who else have competed? Delhi Capitals, they have done quite well. Four wins out of six, two losses, one against MI, so Delhi are up there, thanks to some good calls from their skipper, Meg Lanning. And, of course, the team. But the others &ndash; UP Warriorz, Gujarat Giants and RCB &ndash; are struggling and will need more than a dominant display to catch up at third place. Anyone&rsquo;s race to be honest, for the third.PSL is buzzinggggggggggggggggYou thought WPL was bizarre, then PSL was like on &lsquo;high-performance&rsquo; drugs. Not the cough syrup one. We have gone past the crazy run-scoring fests, some mind-boggling individual displays from people you least expect, and some pitches that were literally the graveyard for the bowlers.Read: <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/mammoth-scores-and-hundreds-galore-in-psl-2023-1678865343227" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mammoth scores and hundreds galore in PSL 2023</a>The play-off clash between Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars was anything but high-scoring. 160/5 vs 76 is extremely one-sided, and that really showed Multan&rsquo;s bowling unit. Then Lahore Qalandars went on to beat Peshawar Zalmi to set up a re-match but this time in the final.Will it be the dominant Multan or the Qalandars who will lift the PSL trophy? Set your alarms for 7.30 PM tonight to find out. ICYMI, this is really how the PSL has behaved this far!!!Come on, give me those articlesWell bowled, Gazza. I&rsquo;m sure you would have heard that over and again in the last four-five weeks of riveting action between India and Australia. Is Gazza the GOAT? Well, at least he is definitely the visiting GOAT to India. Read <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/greyer-sharper-and-quick-witted-how-lyon-sparked-a-fire-in-india-1678866358754" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">what makes Lyon so special</a>, in this piece from Aakash.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/the-different-moods-of-bgt-2023-3152023-1678891738692" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">This year&rsquo;s BGT was a definite mood board</a>, sorry Jarrod Kimber. But this mood board had everything, including a snooze-fest in Ahmedabad, two Prime Ministers with a lit chariot, and all those crazy turning action, like it was a bendy-curve race track. In case you need any help remembering it all, Gaurav&rsquo;s got you covered.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/how-can-india-fill-the-void-left-by-shreyas-iyers-absence-3152023-1678885293508" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">India are going to be without Shreyas Iyer</a>. How long? Not sure but long enough for his presence to be missed. So, what can they do? Anirudh Suresh has answered that question.Let me throw another piece from Anirudh here, on a certain Travis Head. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/travis-head-defies-odds-in-a-way-no-one-expected-him-to-1678770710783" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How did he defy the odds</a>, and make the Australian selectors look like fools for dropping him from the first Test in Nagpur!What can 18 seconds do to life? A lot. For a certain Proteas skipper, Dane van Niekerk, it was enough to call it time from the game. Her last words as a Proteas player, &lsquo;it was unfortunately, not enough&rsquo;. Read how <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/an-18-second-delay-that-rattled-south-african-cricket-1678774548663" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an 18-second delay rattled South African cricket</a>, all thanks to Shweta Haranhalli&rsquo;s writing.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

In this newsletter, we take you through all important cricket updates, providing a one-stop destination to satiate the cricket nerd in you

Kane Williamson

David Warner

Virat Kohli

Mehidy Hasan

Harmanpreet Kaur

Michael Bracewell

Women's Premier League, 2023

Indian Premier League, 2023

Australia tour of India, 2023

England tour of Bangladesh, 2023

Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand, 2023

Delhi Capitals

India

Australia

England

Bangladesh

New Zealand

Sri Lanka

The Cricket.com Weekly - Edition 22

After the two-match test series between South Africa and West Indies, the focus now shifts to the ODI series between them. With the World Cup just months away, the players will have a lot more to play for than just the end results.The Test series saw SA dominate WI, and it&rsquo;s hard to see the ODI series go any other way. This will be Shai Hope&rsquo;s maiden series as the full time WI skipper. SA will be without the services of Aiden Markram, Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, and it presents a great opportunity for the players on the fringe to stake a claim for a spot in their World Cup squad.Ground conditionsBuffalo Park, East London will play host for the first ODI. 22 games have been played on this venue, and the average score has been 226. Of the 22 games, 12 have been won by the chasing team. The new ball tends to move around &amp; bounce more for an extended period here. But, once it settles down, it becomes a lot better for batters to contend with.In all ODIs, pacers have taken the lion&#39;s share (68%) of all wickets. They have done this while conceding runs at a RR of 4.5 RPO and have taken a wicket every 42 balls. The corresponding numbers for spinners stand at 4.6 RPO and 51 balls.&nbsp;Average first innings score: 226Average second innings score: 196Suggested team<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1678904390990-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com&rsquo;s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.Captaincy picksFor small leagues: Quinton de Kock (C), Rassie van der Dussen (VC)For grand leagues: Temba Bavuma (C), Shai Hope (VC)Grand league puntsFresh off a superlative 172 in the second test, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/12492/temba-bavuma/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Temba Bavuma</a> seems to have capped his return to form. The snub at the SA20 auction seems to have done a world of good for him. Expect him to carry this rich vein of form into the ODI series as well. Also, five of the last ten fifties registered at this venue have been by openers.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63797/shai-hope/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shai Hope</a> has always been the quintessential ODI player. He knows how to bide his time, and has the ability to switch gears towards the latter half. The responsibility of captaincy could also go either ways. It&rsquo;s been a while since WI played this format, but Hope has scored a century and a half century in his last five innings.&nbsp;Criclytics - Top Performers<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1678904490418-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Predicted XIsSouth Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Rassie Van Der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Wayne Parnell, Tabraiz Shamsi, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi NgidiWest Indies: Shai Hope (C), Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Rovman Powell, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel, Akeal Hosein Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the first ODI between South Africa and West Indies

Rassie van der Dussen

Fantasy: Expect the openers to go long

Explosive all-rounder <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65525/wiaan-mulder/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wiaan Mulder</a> has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against West Indies with a left-side strain, with left-arm pacer <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4360/wayne-parnell/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wayne Parnell</a> replacing him in the squad. Mulder got injured during the course of the second Test against West Indies, with a grade-on side strain.&nbsp;Not just that, one of the Proteas&rsquo; white-ball mainstay, Keshav Maharaj has been ruled out of the ODI series. Left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has been added to the ODI squad. Maharaj ruptured his left Achilles tendon during the fourth day of the second Test, with a high chance that the left-arm spinner could be out of the upcoming ODI World Cup.&nbsp;The three-match ODI series isn&rsquo;t part of the ODI Super League, and South Africa still have to win their series against Netherlands to stand a chance.&nbsp;South Africa squad for ODIs against West Indies: Temba Bavuma (capt), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams, Rassie van der Dussen. Third ODI only: Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David MillerPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Wiaan Mulder has been ruled out of the series with a left side strain

Wiaan Mulder

Keshav Maharaj

Wayne Parnell named as Mulder’s replacement for Windies ODIs

South Africa spinner <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/48607/keshav-maharaj/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Keshav Maharaj</a> faces a lengthy layoff as he has suffered &quot;a complete rupture of his left Achilles tendon&quot; during his side&#39;s <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/south-africa-win-by-284-runs-as-west-indies-collapse-1678538241427" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">comprehensive 284-run victory</a> over West Indies in the second Test at The Wanderers on Saturday (March 11).&nbsp;Maharaj collapsed to the ground when he started off on his celebratory run after Kyle Mayers was given out following a review by the Proteas. According to multiple reports, this injury could put Maharaj out for 4-6 months, and could miss the World Cup as a result.As a result, he will not be able to fulfill his commitments with Middlesex with whom he was set to feature in the English county championship and also the T20 Blast, and will turn his attention to his rehab instead.<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 826px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1634570253240811522&lang=en&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fconsole.incdcdev.com%2Farticles%2Fedit%2Fkeshav-maharaj-faces-lengthy-layoff-after-rupturing-left-achilles-tendon-1678592477744&sessionId=a20c0606d4b33b0a0ef87801f13f0d068ecf2314&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1634570253240811522"></iframe></div>Cricket South Africa (CSA) has confirmed that Maharaj will meet with a surgeon on Monday (March 13) to discuss the future of action. According to a report in&nbsp;The Guardian, Maharaj is certain to go under the knife.&nbsp;Maharaj has been South Africa&#39;s leading Test spin bowler since making his debut in 2016 but has more recently become a regular in the ODI team. South Africa have no Test matches scheduled until December 2023.&nbsp;Maharaj bowled only 2.5 overs before his injury but took two wickets for four runs to hasten a West Indian collapse to 106 all out. In 49 Tests, Maharaj has picked up 158 wickets for the Proteas at 31.99. Given his exploits in the subcontinent, which also includes a nine-wicket haul in Sri Lanka, Maharaj was expected to play in the World Cup.&nbsp;He has 29 wickets from 27 50-over games for the Proteas, at an economy rate of 4.79.(With inputs from AFP)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The spinner collapsed right after setting off for his celebratory run after he picked up the wicket of Kyle Mayers on Saturday (March 11) during the second Test against West Indies 

Keshav Maharaj faces lengthy layoff after rupturing left Achilles tendon

South Africa&#39;s bowlers ripped through the West Indies&#39; batting as the hosts completed a 284-run win on the fourth day of the second Test at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.The West Indies were bowled out for 106 after being set to make 391 to win. South Africa won the two-match World Test Championship series 2-0.The match was effectively won and lost in 8.1 overs leading up to lunch when the West Indies crashed to 34 for 6.Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada struck twice in three balls and sparked the collapse after opening batsmen Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul survived the first 10 overs, putting on 21 runs.Rabada dismissed Brathwaite for the seventh time in successive innings when he trapped the West Indian captain leg-before wicket for 18 with a ball that kept low.Two balls later Raymon Reifer gloved a catch down the leg side to wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen. Spinners Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj also took two wickets each as the West Indies lost six wickets for 13 runs.Off-spinner Harmer shared the new ball with Rabada and extracted extravagant turn, having Chanderpaul caught at second slip after the left-hander had faced 36 balls and scored only two runs.Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood and Kyle Mayers all fell cheaply with South Africa&#39;s only setback coming after Maharaj won a successful appeal for leg before wicket against Mayers in the last over before lunch.In celebrating, the left-arm spinner collapsed and was stretchered off the field with a left ankle tendon injury.Maharaj was taken for a scan. With all-rounder Wiaan Mulder suffering a right index finger injury, which also required a scan, South Africa were effectively down to three frontline bowlers. The West Indies batting, though, had already been wrecked.Mulder returned after lunch but was not required to bowl.Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph all played some aggressive strokes after lunch as the last four wickets yielded 72 runs before the match ended soon after the afternoon drinks break.There had been concerns about Rabada&#39;s fitness after he suffered back pain during the first innings but he showed no signs of discomfort during a hostile seven-over spell.South Africa were bowled out for 321 earlier, with captain Temba Bavuma adding only one run to his overnight 171 before he was caught at deep square leg off Holder.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Kraigg Brathwaite and his men were bowled out for 106 after being set to make 391 to win

WEST INDIES TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA 2023

West Indies tour of South Africa, 2023 | home

HOME

MATCHES

SQUADS

STATS

NEWS

STADIUMS