In the opening Twenty20 World Cup Super 8 match, South Africa—which is unbeaten in the group stage—will face the flying United States at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, a venue that has favored pace bowlers over spinners this year. Across all T20Is, 24 matches were won by batting first and 23 by chasing on a pitch where average scores hover around 130. On Wednesday, both teams would try to play to their strengths because the pitch hasn’t favored teams batting first or pursuing.
T20 World Cup 2024: Antigua
| Type of bowling | Pace bowling | Spin bowling |
| Wickets in 2024 T20 World Cup | 26 | 12 |
| Economy in 2024 T20 WC | 7.74 RPO | 8.45 RPO |
| Strike Rate in 2024 T20 WC | 14.1 balls per wicket | 15.5 balls per wicket |
With eight of their past ten losses coming with a score in front of them, South Africa has been an uneasy chaser lately. This World Cup, Aiden Markram’s team struggled to hold onto modest objectives when against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
Conversely, the US has been chasing totals and has won seven of their last ten games (including a Super Over victory against Pakistan). Remember that the USA had chased a huge 195 on the first night of the tournament against Canada, demonstrating poise and calmness that ultimately launched their incredible run.
| T20 Matches since 2010 in Antigua | Batting first | Batting second |
| Wins | 24 | 23 |
| Average scores | 137 | 134.2 |
| Average | 19.61 runs per wicket | 18.80 runs per wicket |
| Highest score | 211 | 178 |
The dependable one when it comes to chases for the USA is Andries Gous, who had a significant role in that in Dallas. When he faces a score, his batting average rises from 21.50 to 35.40. Not only did star batsman Aaron Jones score an undefeated 94 against Canada, but he also had a significant impact on the final stages of the victory vs Pakistan.
On the bowling front, the likes of Saurabh Netravalkar and Ali Khan can pose a to an erratic Proteas top-order. However, the USA may not be a match for the skill levels of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje or even the in-form Ottneil Baartman.
South Africa has bowled 61.1 overs, second most behind Pakistan, at a cost of just 4.72 runs per over, making them the most economical pace bowling team of the tournament thus far. Although their economy rate of 7.50 has been impressive, the USA seamers have only claimed nine wickets in three games, hitting once per 30.2 balls while South Africa’s pacers claim one wicket every 18.2 deliveries.
