Shai Hope, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase (all Pretoria Capitals), Akeal Hosein (Joburg Super Kings) and Gudakesh Motie (Paarl Royals) all spent more than a month in South Africa playing in the country’s franchise T20 tournament. Rutherford and Hope were fourth and seventh on the run-charts, respectively, and together with Chase took Capitals into the final. They lost to Tristan Stubbs’ Sunrisers Eastern Cape, which also included Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, but got first-hand looks at all of South Africa’s best players. It begs the question: could West Indies’ knowledge of their opposition trump the opposition’s intel about the venue?
South Africa will be bracing for him and Shimron Hetmyer, the leading run-scorer in the three-match T20I series against South Africa, as they prepare for what is now their and perhaps more so West Indies’ biggest match.
Perhaps, given that both sides are unbeaten, the winner here is also an indication of who could be the winner here again (or in Colombo) but neither side will allow itself to think that far ahead. South Africa have been burnt too many times in the past waiting for the one trophy they would finally get their hands on, and West Indies have fallen too far since their last major triumph and are starting anew, with the determination to get back to their best.
“Our energy is great. The vibe is good within the team. Everybody’s up for it,” Reifer said. “We came here to win cricket games. We’ve been planning well, batting well, bowling well and fielding well, and you have to do all of those well to win games. Guys are enjoying playing with each other, enjoying each other’s company, and enjoying each other’s success, that’s important in a team setup.”
That’s crucial but so is something else West Indies know about that South Africa don’t – what winning a white-ball World Cup feels like. Specifically this tournament. Specifically in this country. Exactly a decade ago. Of all the things people know and don’t know heading into this game, that may prove the biggest difference.
