DROPPED!Good length delivery from Nortje; Simmons edges for a straightforward catch but Klaasen spills it. WI finish the powerplay with 43 in 6 overs.

West Indies have made a slow start here in Dubai

Here we go. Play time!

JUST IN: The Cricket South Africa (CSA) Board on Monday evening unanimously agreed to issue a directive requiring all Proteas players to adopt a consistent and united stance against racism by “taking the knee” prior to the start of their remaining World Cup matches. Is that why De Kock was left out? We’ll keep you updated.

Toss: South Africa opt to bowl.Big news coming in that QUINTON DE KOCK has been left out today. Reeza Hendricks comes in. For WI, Hayden Walsh Jr comes in for his first WC game. More on De Kock in a bit…

Pitch Report ft. Ian Bishop: “This surface here as we stand on it right now looks to have enough grass, not a lot of grass. It is cut very low and it is right across a very hard surface. It looks really firm and should be a good cricket surface. There won’t be any dew that means the conditions will be equal. South Africa’s pacers bowled a lot of back of a length against Australia and will look to do the same against West Indies.”

Prelude:

When South Africa and the West Indies played for the first time in the world of cricket on March 5, 1992, West Indies’ commentator Tony Cozier told the host broadcaster: “It is a very big game, just four or five years ago, when the West Indies rebel team… being ostracized from West Indies cricket… this today is absolutely unthinkable of becoming a reality.”

Clive Rice, former South African captain, chipped in by saying, “When you feel everything falling into place, certainly in my career you dreamt of this situation.”

For the record, South Africa won that 50-over World Cup game by 64 runs, but the significance of the match was unprecedented.

More than 29 years later, the two sides are set to lock horns in another World Cup, albeit in the shortest format. It is a format where the West Indies have found success having won a couple of world titles. However, they began the 2021 T20 World Cup on the wrong note, hurtling to just 55 all out versus England and ended up losing the game.

The likes of Pollard, Russell, Gayle and Hetmyer have to find their mojo with the bat to make an impact. On a positive note, Akeal Hossain bowled with skill and nous versus England.

On the other hand, South Africa entered the tournament as dark horses. A couple of wins in the warm-up matches helped to boost their confidence but just like the West Indies, South Africa slipped to a loss in their opening fixture against Australia.

Who will come out on top in this crucial encounter in a tough group? We will have all the action in a while…

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