West Indies’ big-hitters will face a stern test against South Africa when the two unbeaten teams square off in a Super Eight clash in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Whoever wins the contest will tighten their grip on a semi-final berth while a West Indies victory will make India’s chances of advancing in the tournament more difficult.
West Indies’ line-up, packed with power-hitters, will go up against a balanced South African bowling attack that dismantled India at the same venue on Sunday. Shai Hope’s side has hit the most sixes in the tournament having cleared the boundary 55 times compared to South Africa’s 41.
Keshav Maharaj, however, ruled out any advantage of being familiar with the surface. “From a pitch point of view... in the four matches that we’ve played here, conditions have played very differently so I don’t see it as too much of an advantage. It’s just making sure that we adapt quicker rather than later compared to the opposition,” he said.
West Indies batting coach Floyd Reifer said he was “not worried” about South Africa’s adopted home comforts.