SA-W vs WI-W prediction: Who will win the 3rd ODI?
West Indies Women and South Africa Women will cross swords in the third game of their four-match ODI series on Thursday, February 3. The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg will host the game.
West Indies, captained by Stafanie Taylor, have put in a strong showing thus far in the tournament. In their first ODI on Friday, January 28, the visitors had the Proteas by the scruff of their neck after Deandra Dottin's century.
However, rain played spoilsport, and the game ended without a result. The second ODI on Monday, January 31, turned out to be an absolute humdinger, though. After being asked to bat first, South Africa, captained by all-rounder Sune Luus, folded for 160 in 40.4 overs.
Openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits scored 25 runs apiece, but both got out to Chinnelle Henry. Captain Luus top-scored for them with a 52-ball 46, laced with five fours and a six. The rest of the South African batters, though, couldn't make much of an impact, though.
Shamilia Connell, Shakera Selman, Hayley Matthews, Henry and Karishma Ramharack picked up two wickets apiece for the West Indies. The visitors found themselves in all sorts of trouble in their run-chase after getting reduced to 83-6 in 20.3 overs.
However, a 54-run partnership between Henry and Chedean Nation brought them back into the game. Ayobanga Khaka removed Henry (26) before Nation (52-ball 35) fell to Masabata Klaas.
Nation and Selman added 21 runs for the ninth wicket before the former got out with the West Indies needing only two runs to win. The game went into a Super Over, where two sixes and as many fours from Dottin set South Africa an unassailable target of 26.
Can South Africa Women (SA-W) beat the West Indies Women (WI-W)?
In the first two ODIs at the Wanderers, the team batting second found it tough to get going. Targets over 200 can be difficult to track down on this surface.
South Africa are one loss away from conceding the series to the West Indies. Although they lost the previous game, their bowlers performed well. So South Africa will go into this game as the favourites.
Prediction: South Africa Women to win on Thursday.