3 things to watch out for in South Africa-West Indies Test series
South Africa are all set to tour the Caribbean for a two-match Test series, beginning on Wednesday, August 7, as part of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Both sides are placed in the bottom half of the standings, and need a serious push in the latter half of the competition to be in contention for the final.
The red-ball affairs between South Africa and the West Indies in the past have been a series of one-sided affairs. The Proteas have only lost three matches to the Men in Maroon across 32 contests, with the last loss coming back in 2007.
West Indies are coming on the back of a whitewash defeat against England away from home. Despite the humbling scoreline, there were a lot of positives for Kraigg Brathwaite and company, as they were able to test the opposition on certain occasions.
As far as South Africa are concerned, they began the cycle with a dominant innings win over India. However, since then they have lost three successive Tests, including a clean sweep by New Zealand, where they sent their second-string side.
With an opportunity to get back to winning ways, both sides will be keen on making the most of it. On that note, let us take a look at three things to watch out for in the South Africa-West Indies Test series.
#1 Tony de Zorzi at the top of the order
South Africa's top-order was left with a gaping hole after Dean Elgar's retirement following the Test series against India. The Proteas made use of Neil Brand, Edward Moore, and Clyde Fortuin for the tour of New Zealand when the major stars were playing in the SA20.
However, now with the full-strength team available, the team has to look for a long-term opening partner along with Aiden Markram. The identified candidate is Tony de Zorzi, who made his debut against the West Indies last year at home. In his four-match Test career so far, he has played at number three, and now for his first overseas assignment, he will apparently open the innings.
He batted at the top of the order in South Africa's warm-up clash against the West Indies Championship XI, where he scored nine runs.
"I've got big shoes to fill. The guy before me was unbelievable. So it's really exciting to be batting with Aiden. It's cool that it's a familiar face," de Zorzi said recently (via Cricbuzz).
#2 New bowlers on show
Alzarri Joseph and Marco Jansen have been rested for the upcoming series, leaving space for new pacers to leave an impression. From South Africa's side, it comes in the form of Migael Pretorius whereas the West Indies have included a new spinner among their ranks.
Uncapped Bryan Charles was called up as Kevin Sinclair suffered a broken arm during the England tour. As far as Joseph's replacement in the side is concerned, veteran seamer Kemar Roach marks a return after recovering from injury.
#3 Fragile batting unit of both sides will be in focus
West Indies and South Africa are two sides that have done reasonably well in white-ball cricket in recent times but have been equally dismal in red-ball cricket.
Barring the win against Australia at the Gabba, the West Indies do not have much to show for. South Africa, on the other hand, were whitewashed by Australia and New Zealand in recent times and recorded a loss to England too.
A common trait that links these two sides are their imperious bowling attack. However, it has been their batting that has let them down. With Elgar out of the picture, the issue only escalates for the Proteas.
Consequently, it is the responsibility of the young batters to showcase their ability and cement their place to create a stable batting order for their sides. South Africa have several newcomers in the batting department like Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, and Kyle Verryene. These four players have made a total of 25 Test appearances combined so far.
The same inexperience is evident in the West Indies batting unit as well. The management decided to give young Mikyle Louis an opportunity on the England tour. Other than that, the entire middle order of Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, and Kirk McKenzie are all trying to find their feet in international cricket. They have certainly shown glimpses of promise, but consistency and reliability continue to elude them.
Who among these inexperienced batters rises to the occasion will be interesting to watch, and their doing so will be of great help to their side as they will have one problem less to solve.