🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: S8 - Match 45: SA vs England @8:00 PM IST🏏 - Page 4

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All The Best to both teams

Hello and welcome back to St Lucia (or at least a webpage concerned with events there) for the tippiest-tappiest live coverage around! We're already full steam ahead with the Super Eight, as the second round of matches in Group 2 takes place - starting this afternoon with what should be a tub-thumping face-off between England and South Africa. Jos Buttler's defending champions looked worthy of the name in brushing past in-form co-hosts West Indies two nights ago but they will need to be on it against a South Africa side who have won five from five (albeit with a few scares along the way). You can stock up on all the pre-match nuggets in Firdose Moonda's preview and it'll soon be time to start limbering up for the toss. Don't go anywhere, unless it's to make a rum punch

South Africa managed pretty well the switch from the sticky wickets of the good ole US of A to something a little more batter friendly in the Caribbean, and they may be able to find even higher gears after moving on from Antigua to St Lucia, where 180-plus has been de rigueur. Heinrich Klaasen is certainly hoping that he and his team-mates can be a bit more expansive, after being forced to find a way during a "scrappy" group stage. Buttler, meanwhile, was effusive about his side's performance after seeing off West Indies - saving praise for Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid in particular - and our own Matt Roller was on hand to Salt's stunning rise over the last year or so

"How the spinners of both sides perform would determine the outcome of this box office contest," declares Chuvi, confidently

"May I humbly ask the wonderful and extraordinary ESPN Cricinfo (formerly baggygreen.com) staff for the best true, tried and tested West Indian Rum Punch recipe? A little Caribbean flavour to the weekend shenanigans will be just the ticket." I'm not sure any of us are qualified to help you there, Tonka. But Miller probably has a gin recipe or two he can pass on

Matt R is up and atom in Gros Islet: "As you might expect, it's pretty quiet at the Daren Sammy Ground 45 mins before the toss in St Lucia's first day game. This is the fifth match here in seven days and after the locals turned out for back-to-back West Indies fixtures, it might be sparse today beyond the relatively small number of English tourists. Right now, the DJ is blaring out Fred Again over the speakers but the only people listening are the players, event staff and a handful of journalists."

"This will be interesting," chin-strokes cricketingstargazer. "Both sides have wobbled a bit. England, though, seem to be coming into some form. South Africa have been given big scares in their last two outings by Nepal and the USA respectively but, have come through. Luck running out? Or about to blow England's campaign out of the water?"

England will be riding high after that commanding win over the West Indies led by Phil Salt's blistering 87 not out. They too have experimented with their combination over the course of the tournament.

South Africa may be unbeaten in this tournament, but haven't looked anywhere near their best so far. Their batters struggled to get going at Nassau County in the Group Stages, and then the bowlers took some punishment against USA in Antigua. They had gone with two spinners in that match against the co-hosts where Shamsi was taken to the cleaners. Will that nudge them in the direction of Ottniel Baartman again?

9.45am:What will a morning start throw up conditions-wise? This game will be played on a new strip, with less of a pronounced difference in boundary sizes. "That may bring the wind into play even more, and it's currently blowing a gale," says Matt. He's also been observing the players going about their preparations and reckons England might stick with the same attack as that which held West Indies to a chaseable score on Wednesday night. For South Africa, the key question is whether to bring Ottneil Bartmaan back, having preferred Tabraiz Shamsi's wristspin against USA

What will a morning start throw up conditions-wise? This game will be played on a new strip, with less of a pronounced difference in boundary sizes. "That may bring the wind into play even more, and it's currently blowing a gale," says Matt. He's also been observing the players going about their preparations and reckons England might stick with the same attack as that which held West Indies to a chaseable score on Wednesday night. For South Africa, the key question is whether to bring Ottneil Bartmaan back, having preferred Tabraiz Shamsi's wristspin against USA

Pitch report | Natalie Germanos and Michael Atherton: It's a fresh pitch. 69 meter and 66 meter square boundaries. 76 meters down the ground. Not much different to the pitch we saw the other night. England have the advantage of having played here. Don't think it really matters (bat first or bowl first). Expecting a good surface.