Fresh from victories in their opening Super 8 encounters, England and South Africa will face each other in the T20 World Cup 2024 on Friday in St Lucia with an eye on solidifying their semifinal chances. (Streaming | More Cricket News)
England flexed their batting muscles to chase down 181 in just 17.3 overs against West Indies in their opening Super 8 encounter. On the other hand, South Africa were forced to sweat hard in their Super 8 opener against USA but managed to eke out an 18-run victory.
Here are the three key player battles that will be followed closely when these two heavyweights clash on Friday.
Phil Salt vs Kagiso Rabada
The hero of the first Super 8 games for both these teams will go up against each other early in England's batting. Salt's blistering 87 not out helped England beat West Indies while Rabada's crucial three strikes paved way for South Africa's win over USA.
Who among these two in-form players will come out on top on Friday? The battle could decide a lot in the game.
Quinton de Kock vs Jofra Archer
de Kock was the Player Of The Match In South Africa's win over USA. The Proteas will again want him on song for a good start. For England, Archer will be the key to get early wickets and de Kock will be his target.
Will de Kock look to play Archer safely and attack others or he will take the challenge heads on? An interesting battle awaits.
Jonny Bairstow vs Tabraiz Shamsi
Bairstow hit some lusty blows during his 26-ball 48 in England's win over West Indies. One good thing for him in that innings was that there were no wrist spinners in the West Indian side. South Africa have Tabraiz Shamsi.
Shamsi had a poor outing against USA but he has shown he can trouble the best on his days. How will Bairstow fare against Shamsi will decide the fate of England's middle order batting.
