South Africa has won the toss and opted to field first against the West Indies in the opening match of a three-game T20 International series at Boland Park in Paarl. This series serves as an important preparation for both teams leading up to the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place next month in Sri Lanka and India.
Both South Africa and the West Indies are entering this series with mixed results, each team having won only once in their last five outings. The Proteas have had a challenging year, suffering losses in 12 of their 18 matches throughout 2025. Historically, South Africa has struggled against the West Indies, winning just once in their last eight encounters, with their sole victory coming during the last World Cup in 2024.
Interestingly, this marks the first time the two teams will clash in the Cape Winelands district, although they have met once before in Cape Town in 2015, where the West Indies triumphed by four wickets. One of the most memorable matches between the teams occurred in March 2023, when the West Indies set an impressive target of 258 runs. Johnson Charles achieved a stunning 118 runs off just 46 balls, while Kyle Mayers contributed significantly with 51 runs. However, South Africa bounced back spectacularly, with Quinton de Kock scoring a rapid 100 runs off 44 balls to help secure a six-wicket victory with seven balls remaining.
Both teams are fielding their full World Cup squads for this series, but South Africa has chosen to rest key players Quinton de Kock, Tristan Stubbs, and Marco Jansen for this match, while David Miller is sidelined due to injury. The teams for today’s game are as follows:
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ryan Rickelton (wicketkeeper), Dewald Brevis, Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, and Kwena Maphaka.
West Indies: Brandon King, Roston Chase (captain), Johnson Charles (wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Matthew Forde, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Jayden Seales, and Akeal Hosein.
As both sides gear up for this exciting series, fans will be eager to see how the tournament unfolds and its implications for their preparations ahead of the World Cup.