West Indies vs South Africa – 1st Test Betting Tips

Host West Indies will be looking to put on a decent show when they take on South Africa in the opening game of the two-match series at Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St. Lucia on Thursday.

West Indies have named a 17-member squad for the two-match series. Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite will be hoping that the side can continue their decent form in the five-day format.

On the other hand, South Africa will be hoping for a change in fortunes under the new leadership of Dean Elgar. Earlier this year, South Africa suffered a clean sweep at the hands of Pakistan in a two-match series played in Pakistan.

Both teams have competed in 28 Tests in the history of five-day format where South Africa have an upper hand with 18 wins compared to West Indies’ three victories. Seven matches ended as a draw.

In the previous six Test matches played between the two teams, South Africa have managed to win four, while the remaining two matches have ended in a draw.

West Indies Form and Team News

West Indies returns to Test action for the first time since March 2021 and will be raring to do well in this two-match series against South Africa.

Their preparations look adequate as the selectors have included experienced players like Shai Hope, Kieran Powell, and Roston Chase, who are making their comeback to the national side after doing well in the domestic first-class competition.

For West Indies, it will be another opportunity to showcase that they can beat South Africa, who have struggled to produce positive results in the longest format of the game.

In the batting department, the home side will be boosted by the return of players like Shai Hope and Roston Chase, who return to the national side after missing the previous Test series against Sri Lanka played at home earlier this season.

For this series opener, the side will be relying heavily on the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite, Kyle Mayers, and Nkrumah Bonner to deliver the bulk of the runs.

Given his excellent performances in the domestic first-class competition, Roston Chase could be slotted into the middle-order for this opening contest.

In the bowling department, the onus will be on the pace trio of Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel, and Kemar Roach to make crucial breakthroughs.

South Africa Form and Team News:

The visitors will have to adjust to the conditions and bring their best cricket to the table in this series opener against West Indies.

In the batting department, the onus will be on the likes of Captain Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, and Aiden Markram to deliver the bulk of the runs.

Since March 2020, Dean Elgar has produced decent numbers with the bat in red-ball cricket. Left-hander has accumulated 372 runs in nine innings at an average of 62.00 with one century and two half-centuries to his name. Dean Elgar will be keen to get back amongst the runs in this two-match Test series against West Indies.

In the bowling department, the likes of Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada will need to provide crucial breakthroughs. All-rounder Wiann Mulder and spinner Keshav Maharaj will be other bowling options for South Africa for this contest.

Odds by Casumo

According to the Casumo sportsbook, South Africa will be the favorites to win this opening game of the series to be played at Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St. Lucia. For the opening Test, South Africa are placed at 1.93 odds, while West Indies at 2.75 odds.

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Our Tipsters Angle

Based on the current form, West Indies will be favorites to win the series opener against South Africa as they playing in their home conditions. In recent times, West Indies have proved to be a formidable unit in their conditions in the five-day format.

With the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite, Kyle Mayers, and Nkrumah Bonner in excellent form, West Indies will be looking to post competitive totals on the board in this opening Test.

For South Africa, the pressure will be on the skipper Dean Elgar, Quinton de Kock, and Temba Bavuma to deliver the goods with the bat in this contest.

Therefore, the prediction is for West Indies to register a comfortable win in the series opener at St. Lucia.

Tip 1- Aiden Markram to continue his excellent form at the top of the innings

Since making his international comeback for South Africa last year, Fawad Alam has delivered splendid batting performances in different conditions. The right-handed batsman can produce big runs for South Africa in the five-day format.

Since December 2020, Aiden Markram has accumulated 336 runs in four Tests at an average of 56.00 with one century and two half-centuries to his name.

Given his splendid comeback in Test cricket, we expect Aiden Markram to score 30 runs or more in this series [email protected].

Tip 2- Kemar Roach to lead the charge for West Indies with the new-ball

Since 2018, Pacer Kemar Roach has been a consistent performer for West Indies in the five-day format. In 17 Tests matched played for West Indies, Roach has claimed 65 wickets at an average of 23.32 with five-wicket hauls to his name.

Kemar Roach will take heart from the fact that he has excellent bowling numbers at Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St Lucia.

Given his consistency in red-ball cricket, we are expecting Kemar Roach to take four wickets or more in this opening encounter at @3.00

Conclusion

Expect West Indies to beat South Africa in this opening contest and go 1-0 up in the two-match series.

1. Aiden Markram to score 40 runs or more in this series opener- South [email protected]
2. Kemar Roach to take four wickets or more in this first game- West [email protected]

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